Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) – A 30-year sentence handed down to a woman for the death of another woman with developmental disabilities in 2023. Angelita Chacon, was sentenced Monday for the death of Mary Melero, who was an autistic woman and was found by Customs and Border Protection agents inside a van near the U.S.-Mexico border. She was severely dehydrated, drugged, and bearing open wounds.
The NMDOJ charged Chacon along with her co-defendant Patricia Hurtado for Melero’s death back in April 2023. Hurtado agreed to testify against Chacon and pay her share of the $3.3 million in restitution, as well as serving five years in prison.
Melero was enrolled in the Developmental Disabilities WaiverProgram, previously administered by the New Mexico Department of Health and Chacon was contracted to provide care for her. She was receiving approximately $5,000 a month under the DD Waiver Program for services that were insufficiently rendered.
