N.M. man pleads guilty to kidnapping girlfriend and beating her to death with golf club
03/28/2023 2:34 pm PDT
CLOVIS, N.M. (TCD) -- A 33-year-old man was recently sentenced to just under two decades in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and fatally beating a woman with a golf club in 2022.
According to the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, on Feb. 24, 2022, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Roosevelt General Hospital. There, they met with a victim who had been "kidnapped, beaten, battered, and struck with a golf club multiple times."
The victim, identified by KVII-TV as 26-year-old Subrina Calderon, succumbed to her injuries several days later, on Feb. 28, 2022.
The victim arrived at the hospital with Thomas Lopez, KVII reports. While he was there, Calderon reportedly told hospital staff she fell down the stairs, but after Lopez left, she said Lopez was "hitting her with golf clubs, bit her on the ear, and punched her with closed fists."
According to KVII, Calderon suffered bruising all over her body and had dried blood near her ears.
Calderon reportedly told deputies she and Lopez had been in an "on-and-off relationship for the past year" and that he abused her for "the past month." She alleged that Lopez pulled her by the hair and also attempted to strangle her.
Calderon said Lopez forced her to stay in a room in a house in rural Roosevelt County, and she wasn’t allowed to leave or go to the bathroom, KVII reports.
On Monday, March 27, the District Attorney’s Office announced that Lopez pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, and resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, which "includes a four-year habitual offender enhancement."
Lopez will have to serve 85% of his sentence, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
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