Mickey Apodaca, 1956-1984

Twenty-eight-year-old Mickey Apodaca died on April 11, 1984, after undergoing an abortion performed by an abortionist who was free on bond appealing a murder conviction.

The abortionist, Raymond Showery, perforated Mickey's uterus during the abortion, which resulted in heavy bleeding. Mickey had been bleeding for over two hours at Showery's abortion clinic before she was transferred to a hospital, where she died. Showery was charged with manslaughter for Mickey's death. An El Paso grand jury found that Showery had an improperly trained staff, that he delayed treating Mickey's punctured uterus and severe bleeding, and that he held her at his abortion clinic instead of immediately transferring her to a hospital. Authorities dropped the charges against Showery.

Investigative reporter Edna Gunderson found that Showery performed the abortion that killed Mickey while he was appealing a murder conviction. In 1983, Showery was convicted of the death of a baby who survived an attempted abortion. When Showery realized that the abortion had failed, he drowned the baby himself. Showery was sentenced to 15 years for the drowning, but only served five years before being released on parole.

El Paso authorities vigorously protested Showery's release after Mickey's death. They said that Showery had threatened investigative reporter Edna Gunderson, a police detective, a prosecutor, and the El Paso County district attorney. Police detectives believed that Showery was abusing drugs when he killed Mickey.