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A Texas man has been sentenced for the murder of his former girlfriend, whose body he concealed in her coffee table after she ended their relationship.
Mario Juan Chacon, aged 27, confessed to the murder and evidence tampering in the 2023 death of Madeline Pantoja. The Midland County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the plea agreement on February 20, as reported by Oxygen.
The plea deal stipulates a 35-year sentence for the murder and a 20-year sentence for tampering with evidence, to be served simultaneously. Prosecutors stated that Chacon must serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Prior to sentencing, Pantoja’s close friend, Jasmine Hernandez, emotionally addressed the court, expressing the profound impact of the loss.
“I don’t understand why you didn’t just let her go,” Hernandez lamented, as reported by KMID/KPEJ. “She’ll never travel the world, get married…what you did was inexcusable, unforgivable.”
What Happened to Madeline Pantoja?
Pantoja was reported missing by her family and friends on May 11, 2023 after they were unable to reach her.
Her car and phone were still at her apartment, Midland Police said at the time, but there was no sign of the missing 20-year-old.
An apartment manager let Pantoja’s brother and two friends into her apartment that night and they noticed her coffee table was missing and her dog had been left without any food or water, something they believed she would never do, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KMID.
Shortly after, when officers arrived, they also discovered a dirty mop and sticky floor they believed was the result of someone using too much cleaning product. A neighbor reported hearing a loud scream around 1:30 a.m. coming from Pantoja’s apartment, per the affidavit.
Pantoja’s brother called Chacon—who prosecutors said had been in a relationship with her before she broke it off—but he claimed he’d been at home all day.
Officers Find Red Stain, Doors With Holes in Madeline Pantoja’s Apartment
Authorities received another welfare call to the apartment the next day and this time they discovered a hole in the bedroom door that had hair attached and another hole in a bathroom door, according to the court records. They also found a dark red stain on Pantoja’s bedsheets and noted the comforter on the bed was missing.
Police brought Chacon in for questioning several times. Although he initially claimed he’d been at home all day, he later told officers on May 12, per the court records, that he had been visiting his cousin, who happened to live in the same building as Pantoja, on the night of May 10.
Madeline Pantoja’s Body is Discovered
Authorities launched a massive search effort to try to find Pantoja as they waited to receive Chacon’s phone records. On May 20, after reviewing the phone records, authorities decided to focus their search efforts on an “approximate one-mile area around East County Road 190 and South County Road 1138 in Midland County,” according to the affidavit, also obtained by KWES.
During the search, they discovered Pantoja’s remains. Authorities were able to identify her through jewelry found at the scene, per the court records. A source close to the investigation said she had been discovered inside her missing coffee table, KMID reported.
Chacon was arrested that same day.
A grand jury later concluded, according to an indictment obtained by Oxygen, that Chacon killed Pantoja sometime “on or about the 11th day of May” by kicking her with his foot, “hitting and striking” her with his hands and feet and an unknown instrument and strangling her. According to the indictment, Pantoja had also been suffocated.
The Midland Police, Texas Rangers and Midland County District Attorney’s Office investigators all assisted with the investigation.
At the sentencing hearing Feb. 20, Pantoja’s brother—who was not identified by KMID/KPEJ by name—also addressed the court, calling Chacon’s actions “evil” and labeling him a “coward.”
“The judicial system is flawed,” he said. “You should have been put away for life. I don’t know how you can live with yourself. I hope you get what you deserve in prison and the afterlife.”
District Attorney Glenn Harwood declined to comment on the outcome of the case to Oxygen.