ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A man accused of beating a transgender woman to death and dumping her body in a drainage tunnel will stay behind bars until trial. Jose Mendoza-Espinoza was in front of Judge Brett Loveless for a pretrial detention hearing on Friday.
According to a criminal complaint, Mendoza-Espinoza told deputies he killed Sherlyn Marjorie whom he was having a secret relationship. He added she had been extorting him for money for two years and asked for him for $5,000 to not tell his wife about the affair.
Marjorie was reported missing on September 24, her body was found two days later. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said there is no evidence to suggest it was a hate crime. The state filed for pretrial detention based on the violent nature of the crime. Judge Loveless granted their motion.
