Hi Park enthusiasts, I'm your host, Delia Diambra, and the story I'm going to tell you about today is one I've wanted to cover on this show for a while.

It's the case of two men, best friends, who set out on a hike together in New Mexico,

but only one of them returned alive.

It's a tale of a violent killing,

but it's also a tale of how the criminal justice system in America

handles claims of mercy killings.

The geographic area where this all went down in August of 1999 sits inside Carl's Bad Caberns National Park.

I've personally never been to this part of New Mexico, but I have friends who have, and

they all tell me it's truly a one-of-a-kind place.

The features of the park have been around for ages,

and the park was initially called

Carl's Bad Cave National Monument.

However, in 1930, it got its national park status and was renamed

Carl's Bad Caverns National Park. The area is home to more than 100 limestone

caves, historic sites associated with Native American culture, and remnants of old mining operations.

You can also hike a variety of canyons and trails.

A protected section of the Chihuahuan desert sits within the park's boundary, so depending on the time of year you're there, temperatures can get hot.

Some of the more popular hiking trails people use run along upper and lower Rattlesnake Canyon.

Most of the folks can hike these trails in a matter of hours,

but some visitors opt to take their time and camp in the canyon with a designated permit.

The two men in today's story found themselves choosing the latter.

They ventured into Rattlesnake Canyon with high hopes of sightseeing and exploring, but quickly found

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