Lieutenant Joseph Ralph Silva

Joseph Ralph Silva

Lieutenant Joseph Silva was killed when he was assaulted by a prisoner for whom he had written a disciplinary report for possessing a shank.

After the prisoner was found guilty by a review board he asked to speak with Lieutenant Silva in his office in the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility near Las Cruces. Other officers were alerted to a problem when Lieutenant Silva pressed the emergency button on his radio and found him bleeding from the head and a two-by-four on the floor nearby.

The prisoner was convicted of the murder and had 18 months added to his two life sentences.

Lieutenant Silva had served with the New Mexico Corrections Department for four years but had been in law enforcement with several agencies beforehand. He was survived by his two sons.