Man killed ‘well loved’ trans woman he had sexual relationship with, NM officials say
A 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 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.
He’s accused of killing 35-year-old Sherlyn Marjorie, a “well loved” drag performer described by one friend as “the best impersonator in Tijuana, my second Edith Marquez,” according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Prosecutors said Mendoza Espinoza strangled or suffocated Marjorie, whose body was found near a ditch in September 2023.
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 added, “Each of us are more than the worst thing we have ever done, and Mr. Mendoza Espinoza is also a committed father who is beloved by his family.”
Mendoza Espinoza told investigators that he killed Marjorie because she demanded money and threatened to reveal their “ongoing affair” to his family, prosecutors said.
He said in court that he blacked out amid a fight with her and woke up kneeling on her neck, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
But 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.
Swonger said an appeal is planned.
Bernalillo County includes Albuquerque.
.JPG)