A 27-year-old man was sentenced to decades in prison for brutally murdering his ex-girlfriend and disposing of her body after she ended the relationship, Texas state authorities reported.

Mario Juan Chacon pleaded guilty Friday to one count of murder and one count of tampering with evidence in the death of 20-year-old Madeline Pantoja, which occurred in May 2023, according to the Midland County District Attorney's Office.

Judge David G. Rogers of the 142nd District Court imposed a sentence of 35 years in prison for the murder and 20 years for the evidence tampering charge. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Pantoja was last seen on the evening of May 10, 2023, at the Palladium Museum Place apartments, located on West Francis Avenue in Midland. Friends said that she spoke that night about plans to go swimming the next day, but never contacted them again.

After receiving no response, relatives went to the apartment without success.

Days later, officers from the Midland Police Department entered the residence and found disturbing evidence: a bucket of dirty water and a mop near the door, the floor excessively sticky from cleaning products, and damage to interior doors. A coffee table and the comforter were also missing from the bed, while the sheet had a large red stain.

Lies, Tracking, and Finding the Body

In an initial interrogation, Chacon claimed he hadn't seen the young woman since May 9. Later, he changed his story and admitted to being near the apartment complex the night of her disappearance.

However, traffic cameras, private recordings, and cell phone geolocation data placed his truck in the vicinity between 12:26 a.m. and 3:37 a.m. Authorities also traced his route toward a rural area of ??the county.

On May 20, 2023,A search operation in an area near East County Road 190 and South County Road 1138 led to the discovery of human remains that were identified as those of Pantoja thanks to her jewelry. Local media reported that the body was found inside the missing coffee table from the apartment. The autopsy, performed in Dallas County, determined that the victim died from a combination of strangulation and asphyxiation, in addition to having been beaten with hands and at least one object. Chacon was arrested the same day the body was found and remained in custody on bail set at three million dollars. He was formally charged with murder in July 2023 and with tampering with evidence in November 2025. With the sentence now handed down, he will be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He will be eligible for parole after serving at least half of his sentence, with credit for time already spent in pretrial detention.

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