Woman found dead under pile of clothes in 2022, NM officials say. Son sentenced

A man is going to prison after being convicted in the 2022 shooting that left his mother dead, New Mexico officials said.

In August 2022, Clovis officers responded to a home to perform a welfare check, according to a news release by the Ninth Judicial District Attorney.

When officers entered, they found the body of Joann Caballero, 57, under a pile of clothes in the back home, prosecutors said.

She was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy revealed she had died from two gunshot wounds, officials said.

Officials didn’t specify what led to the shooting.

Caballero, known also by her nickname “Bubbles,” loved her family, friends and community, according to her obituary.

“She never showed hurt easily, as she always had a smile on her face despite going through hard times,” the obituary read.

Her son, later identified as now 30-year-old Martin Caballero-Diaz, was found in the bathroom at the front adjoining home and detained, officials said.

At the scene, officers found empty shell casings and a gun, officers said.

After analyzing the DNA, the gun used in the fatal shooting was linked to Caballero-Diaz, prosecutors said.

On Oct.1, he pleaded guilty to murder, officials said.

“Joann was a kind-hearted and compassionate person who always put others before herself. Her sudden and violent death has left a void in our lives that can never be filled,” Caballero’s sister, Lisa Baca, said during the sentencing hearing.

He was sentenced to 21 years in prison and the sentencing included enhancements because he is a “habitual offender and for the discharge of a firearm during the commission of the crime,” prosecutors said.

“There are no words that can fully capture the pain of losing my mom, but it is even harder to accept when her life was taken by the very person she loved, raised, and trusted,” Caballero’s daughter said during the sentencing.

After serving 18 years in prison, he will be eligible for parole, officials said.

Clovis is about a 220-mile drive southeast from Albuquerque.