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Cardana sentenced to six years for voluntary manslaughter, memorandum details months before incident
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RIO RANCHO — An older man who called both police and adult protective services for help with his care of an elderly geriatric woman has been sentenced in her death.
Henry Cardana, now 87, of Rio Rancho, was initially arrested for willful and deliberate murder of Juneanne Fannell at a residence at the corner of Western Hills Drive and Utah Meadow Road April 5, 2023. In March 2024, Cardana motioned for a settlement in the case.
Fannell was found with a gunshot wound to the head that Wednesday afternoon, but that was not the first call for emergency services that day. Both Adult Protective Services and Rio Rancho Police were called before the incident.
Cardana asked that Fannell be removed from the house because he was becoming frustrated and couldn’t take care of her. That same day, Cardana asked a neighbor to call police, saying, “Call the police. I killed her.”
On March 11, the 13th Judicial Court Heard a motion for settlement that was backed by both the prosecution and the defendant.
Cardana, through his attorney, requested settlement facilitation claiming a trial would be filled with more problems and be difficult for the elderly, disabled man. The settlement would essentially be a plea agreement.
“Counsel believes that both parties would benefit from settlement facilitation,” the motion states.
Shortly after, Cardana plead down to voluntary manslaughter.
He was sentenced Dec. 5 to six years with only two of those served in department of corrections, two served with supervised probation and two years parole.
The sentencing memorandum explains the sentence given he originally faced life in prison.
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“On April 5, 2023, the unbelievably hopeless situation that Juneanne Fannell, the victim, and Henry Cardana found themselves living with came to a tragic and deadly conclusion,” it started.
It adds that other than Cardana, there were no eyewitnesses and that he doesn’t recall what happened prior to the shooting.
“It is also central to the sentencing to understand that on April 5, 2023, Henry was 85 years old with significant physical limitations,” it reads.
It references a slew of issues but indicates that he needs oxygen and a cane to walk.
“Despite these physical and health limitations, he took on the task of providing care and companionship for Juneanne,” it reads.
The memorandum cites Fannell’s debilitated state, saying she was bed-bound and obese. It states that Fannell had a personality disorder and Organic Brain Syndrome, which is common in people who have suffered a brain injury or stroke. She was living in Cardana’s family room, where she spent the majority of her time in a hospital bed.
It also says Cardana did everything he could to make Fannell comfortable in the months leading up to her death.
“At her request, he had installed a $27,000 walk-in tub, which they discovered, after the installation, that she was unable to use. Henry spent $17,000 on new flooring at her insistence. Her temper was so volatile and her language so coarse that each person who was in support for Henry with his care of Juneanne, dropped out one by one,” the document reads.
The memorandum also states that Adult Protective Services did not offer enough assistance despite many requests for help.
Additionally, it says Cardana said he hadn’t slept in the two weeks leading up to the incident.
Up until the shooting, according to the memorandum, Cardana was described as a loving and caring individual. In the end, he was the only one caring for Fannell.
As was stated at the time of his arrest, Cardana called Adult Protective Services and police for help many times, but the memorandum goes a step further in implying that the reason Cardana wasn’t helped and the reason Fannell wasn’t accepted into any nursing or retirement homes was because of her reputation as being difficult.
Additionally, during the course of the court case, a report writer stated that Cardana didn’t show remorse for what he did. Cardana’s council disagreed, saying nothing could be further from the truth.
