On March 18, 2009, Governor Richardson's office confirmed that he had signed a bill repealing the death penalty,[REF] making New Mexico the second U.S. state (after New Jersey) to repeal the death penalty by legislative means since the 1960s.
After his return from North Korea, Richardson dealt with the issue of a pardon for William H. Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, for killing Sheriff William J. Brady of Lincoln County, New Mexico some 130 years ago.