Española man sentenced to 17 years in prison in grisly kidnapping and murder
Jun. 25—An Española man who participated in the grisly killing of a woman in January 2018 as payback for her allegedly stealing money has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.
Luis Mariscal-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the death of Jessica Mora. Mora, 40, was lured from the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino as part of a plot in which she was beaten and killed with a drill in the Española home of Crystal Ramos. Ramos later died in a shootout with Colorado police in June 2018.
Mariscal-Lopez, who had been staying at the home, said in his guilty plea agreement that Ramos helped beat and choke Mora once she was brought to the home. Ramos wanted her beat up because she believed Mora was the person who used her ATM card to steal money from her credit union account. The group contacted her via social media after the theft to arrange for her to meet them at the casino.
According to his plea agreement, a group of people, including Mariscal-Lopez, were waiting for Mora to arrive, after which they beat her with various objects, including a rifle butt and an ax handle. He stated they then tied Mora to a plastic chair and dragged her into an empty bedroom partially covered in plastic, knowing "we intended to assault (her) in this bedroom." There they continued beating her, "and another individual used a drill in her side, until (she) died."
The group wrapped the body in plastic and loaded it into the trunk of a car. They drove to a remote location, tried to dismember the body with a chain saw, and ultimately set it on fire in a shallow pit in the ground. After seeing a helicopter flying near their location, they became concerned that "law enforcement would find us," the plea agreement stated. So they removed what remained of the body and placed it in a toolbox. Months later, the toolbox was buried near a river south of Ojo Caliente.
The remains were recovered by local law enforcement and the FBI and sent to the state Office of the Medical Investigator.
Two others indicted in the conspiracy have pleaded guilty.
Johnny Black, who helped bury the toolbox, pleaded guilty to federal firearms offenses and being an accessory after the fact. He was sentenced to 171 months in prison.
Jorge Dominguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and remains in custody pending sentencing on Aug. 6.
