The drunken driving death of William Tenorio, a 46-year-old man who was from San Felipe Pueblo, is generating a lot of attention in New Mexico due to the political and legal connections of the man accused of killing him.

Tenorio, a disc jockey and volunteer coach at the Santa Fe Indian School, was heading home in the early morning hours on November 26 when he was hit by a car in Santa Fe. Authorities said the driver fled the scene despite a crowd of witnesses.

Police eventually caught up with Carlos William Fierro, an attorney with connections to Rep. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) and Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona). Fierro, 36, appeared to be intoxicated and was charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident that caused death.

Fierro tried to schedule his arraignment so that he wouldn't have to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in jail but a judge denied the request. The passenger in the car was a state police officer and a security detail for Gov. Bill Richardson (D) who apparently has refused to come forward following the incident.

Tenorio was buried at the pueblo on Thanksgiving day. Family and friends remembered him as a dedicated father and as a leader in his community.

"The difference between Mr. Fierro and my father is that my dad owned up to his mistakes and accepted the consequences," daughter Dianna Tenorio, 23, said in a statement at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported. "He used his experiences to guide others in the right direction. My father taught us that it is better to give than to receive. He always put others before himself, and he was very generous."

Get the Story:
William Tenorio, 1962-2008: 'He always put others before himself' (The Santa Fe New Mexican 12/1)
Family Of Hit-And-Run Victim Speaks Out (KOAT 12/1)
Slain Man Was 'Gentle Giant' (The Albuquerque Journal 12/1)
Police seek fatal-crash witnesses' (The Santa Fe New Mexican 11/29)