Robert P. Larson, 35, was killed on August 24, 1982, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, while working undercover for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. A veteran agent with more than ten years in law enforcement and a U.S. Army background, Larson participated in what was presented as an undercover narcotics purchase. He entered the suspect’s vehicle and was followed by backup, but officers lost visual contact after the car drove away.

The transaction was a ruse. The people in the vehicle intended to rob the agent, and in a motel room Larson was shot multiple times; an autopsy attributed his death to three gunshot wounds. Investigators identified a drug dealer and an accomplice as the primary suspects. The shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Are there details about the operation or those involved that readers from the area can add?