An Albuquerqee man accused of killing a transgender woman he had a years-long sexual relationship with faces life in prison, New Mexico officials said.
Jose Mendoza-Espinoza, 30, was convicted in a jury trial of first-degree murder and four counts of tampering with evidence, the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office said in a Feb. 10 post on Facebook.
Victim was Found Dead, Bound in Tape in a Tunnel
Mendoza-Espinoza was accused of killing 35-year-old Sherlyn Marjorie, a "well loved" drag performer. According to prosecutors, Espinoza strangled or suffocated Marjorie, whose body was found near a ditch in September 2023.
Marjorie was initially reported missing to the Albuquerque Police Department after she was last seen on Sept. 16, 2023, according to court records. On Sept. 26, a search party of family and friends, having first found her car, discovered her body in the tunnel. She was found bound in tape and plastic, a half block from where her car was located.
Deputies said Marjorie's friends told them she had arranged to meet with a man early on Sept. 17, but they didn't know who. Detectives searched Marjorie's car GPS and found she had visited a mobile home park.
Video surveillance from the mobile home park showed a man in an SUV meet with Marjorie outside a trailer in the name of Mendoza-Espinoza's wife. Mendoza-Espinoza was then arrested.
Mendoza-Espinoza Told Investigators Marjorie Tried to Extort Him, Threatened to Tell His Wife About Their Affair
Mendoza-Espinoza was having a years-long extramarital affair with Marjorie. He told deputies that he killed herafter she tried to extort him for money and threatened to tell his wife about the affair.
Deputies said Mendoza-Espinoza told them he was "thinking about getting a divorce" but "was very worried about his wife finding out about his sexual preferences." He told deputies Marjorie had threatened to expose the affair and he had taken out loans to pay her to keep quiet.
Mendoza-Espinoza Said He 'Blacked Out' During Fight with Marjorie, Woke Up with Him Kneeling on Her Neck
Mendoza-Espinoza told deputies he had sex with Marjorie before she again extorted him outside his mobile home on Sept. 17, according to the complaint. He said they argued and "he flipped out" and killed Marjorie.
Mendoza Espinoza's attorney, Matthias Swonger, told McClatchy News in a Feb. 11 email that his client was "severely provoked, extorted, and threatened" and "we believe that his actions under these circumstances constitute voluntary manslaughter rather than first-degree murder."
He said in court that he blacked out amid a fight with her and woke up kneeling on her neck, the Albuquerque Journal reported. However, there was no corroborating evidence backing up the extortion claims provided in court records. Prosecutors argued that he planned to kill Marjorie and tried to hide her body, the outlet reported.
"We will continue to hold violent people accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our team continues to work extremely hard on difficult cases to bring justice to victims and their family members," Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said in the Facebook post.
