ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –Marc Ward will spend life in prison for deliberately hitting and killing an Albuquerque church security guard before getting sent away. Monday, Ward faced the family of the man he killed.
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Ward was convicted of first-degree murder back in March for taking the life of 61-year-old Daniel Bourne who was working as a security guard at Calvary Church in 2022 when Ward ran him over. “Because of Marc Ward’s actions that night, I can’t call my day to hear his voice, I can’t ask for advice about life or share hobbies and I can’t call and tell him about what my husband or son are up to,” said Jamie Blasé, oldest daughter of Daniel Bourne.
The killing happened back on September 23, 2022, when the victim Daniel Bourne went to check on what he thought was a suspicious vehicle in the Calvary Church parking lot along Osuna near Jefferson.
Ward who had attended the church, was behind the wheel of a truck. As Bourne got closer to the truck, Ward ran him over twice and then dragged Bourne’s body to a nearby arroyo.
Monday, Ward’s family emphasized that Bourne was an innocent man who was killed in cold blood. “I don’t care if this next sentence makes me a bad Christian, but I hope when your time comes, you burn in hell for your crimes. I truly hope in time I’ll learn to forgive you for killing my dad,” said Courtney Bourne, daughter of Daniel Bourne.
“I ask that he keeps whatever apology he has to himself because even if he had one from that night to this day, he didn’t say one, because it might not have helped him at a trial or helped him today at sentencing,” said Bourne.
Because Ward was convicted of first-degree murder he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. He will have the possibility of earning parole after thirty years of prison. Ward offered an apology for the crime in court Monday afternoon but provided no explanation for why he killed Bourne.
