Chacon, Hurtado remanded to police custody

2023 DD abuse death case continued to 2026 trial

BERNALILLO — Women charged with the death of a local disabled woman remain out on the street…

2023 abuse case gets trial dates

RIO RANCHO — The abuse case against those charged in the death of Mary Melero is scheduled f…

Medicaid fraud added to charges against women accused of causing Melero death

Women accused of causing the death of Mary Melero are now facing Medicaid fraud charges on t…

Mary Melero death partly tied to Medicaid fraud conspiracy

Keyona Zamora pleaded guilty to three counts of Medicaid Fraud and three counts of falsification of documents in mid-December in a case that is related to the those against caretakers accused of causing the death of a developmentally disabled woman, Mary Melero. The details of Zamora’s crimes were released by the New Mexico Department of Justice […]

Woman pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud in case related to Melero death

Keyona Zamora pleaded guilty to three counts of Medicaid Fraud and three counts of falsification of documents in mid-December in a case that is related to the those against caretakers accused of causing the death of developmentally disabled woman, Mary Melero. The fraud incidents took place from Nov. 12, 2022, to Jan. 24, 2023. Court […]

Fatal abuse case to go to trial

Angelita Chacon and Patricia Hurtado of Rio Rancho pleaded not guilty to abuse of a client resulting in death during their arraignment hearing. Both cases will head to trial sometime next year, though the date has not been determined. They were arrested on May 16 for the abuse of a client which resulted in death […]

Death by abuse case to go to arraignment for Chacon and Hurtado

According to affidavit of arrest warrants issued by police to the Sandoval County Magistrate Court, Angelita Chacon, Patricia Hurtado and Luz Scott of Rio Rancho were arrested on May 16 for the abuse of a client which resulted in death on Feb. 27. Details from FBI and border officers revealed the injuries to Mary Melero, […]

Additional details outlined in disabled woman’s death

Two caregivers and another person have been charged in the April death of a 38-year-old developmentally disabled woman who was found to have suffered “horrific” injuries related to abuse while in the state’s care. The abuse case is the one that led the state to terminate contracts with four health care providers involved and, on […]

Three arrested for death of abused, disabled client; AG calls it torture

According to affidavit of arrest warrants issued by police to the Sandoval County Magistrate Court, Angelita Chacon, Patricia Hurtado and Luz Scott of Rio Rancho were arrested on May 16 for the abuse of a client which resulted in death on Feb. 27. Mary Melero, 38, was an intellectually developmentally disabled (IDD) adult. “The abuse […]

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Department of Justice announced June 16 it was successful in remanding defendants Angelica Chacon and Patricia Hurtado for tampering with their GPS monitors and texting each other — both of which are prohibited by their conditions of release. Determination of a trial date will be discussed at a June 30 hearing.

According to a release, Chacon and Hurtado will remain in custody until their trial in which they are accused of extreme abuse and neglect of 38-year-old Mary Melero, leading to the death of the 38-year-old developmentally disabled woman.

This court decision comes after the 13th judicial district court heard motions from both the defense and prosecution on June 2. The trial was pushed back to 2026 because of need for additional discovery from the ankle monitor violations.

"The hearing was rescheduled for today, in which both parties were brought together and the NMDOJ produced strong evidence that resulted in the Court remanding both defendants, removing two allegedly violent and dangerous individuals from the streets of our community," the decision states.