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Letters to the Editor

Omitted details in murder case needed

Odilon Paz-Salvador withdrew his guilty plea in the murder of Lexington lawyer Mark Hinkel. Skid marks could be seen in May 2015 at the site where Hinkel, bottom, was struck and died after being hit by a vehicle driven by Paz-Salvador, top. Hinkel was hit while participating in the Horsey Hundred cycling event in Scott County.
Odilon Paz-Salvador withdrew his guilty plea in the murder of Lexington lawyer Mark Hinkel. Skid marks could be seen in May 2015 at the site where Hinkel, bottom, was struck and died after being hit by a vehicle driven by Paz-Salvador, top. Hinkel was hit while participating in the Horsey Hundred cycling event in Scott County. Mary Meehan

I read with interest your front-page story about Odilon Paz-Salvador's change of plea in the killing of cyclist Mark Hinkel. Interestingly, something was missing in Greg Kocher's report. Either he or his editors chose not to report that Paz-Salvador is an illegal alien awaiting deportation proceedings since 2013.

Why did the Herald-Leader decide that fact was not important? What editorial judgments were involved? Was it a journalistic "oversight?" Or, heaven forbid, was "political correctness" invoked? As a retired journalist and editor, I would like to know. I believe your readers would like to know, too.

Additionally, has anyone thought about doing an investigative report on why it takes years to adjudicate a deportation case and how many more such cases are pending in Fayette County?

Ray Depa

Lexington

This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Omitted details in murder case needed."

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