Preferred Name | Sherlyn Marjorie | City | Albuquerque | ||
Other Names Used | State | NM | |||
Age | 35 | Gender Identity | Transwoman | ||
Race | Latino | Date of Death | 09/17/2023 |
Crime Category: Domestic Violence | Weapon Used: Beating
On September 26th, 2023 in Albuquerque, NM, Sherlyn’s body was found bound in a tunnel. She had been beaten to death by her boyfriend who was angered by her threats of exposing their affair to his wife. She died on September 17th, 2023.
Report: “Marjorie was initially reported missing [on Sept. 24th] to the Albuquerque Police Department after she was last seen on Sept. 16, according to court records. On Sept. 26, a search party of family and friends, having first found her car, discovered her body in a tunnel underneath Central at 136th NW.
Deputies said Marjorie’s friends told them she had arranged to meet with a man early on Sept. 17, but they didn’t know who.
Video surveillance from the mobile home park showed a man in an SUV meet with Marjorie outside a trailer in the name of Mendoza-Espinoza’s wife, according to the complaint. Mendoza-Espinoza was detained and told detectives he and Marjorie, who he knew as transgendered, had been having a two- to three-year-long affair.
Deputies said Mendoza-Espinoza told them he was “thinking about getting a divorce” but “was very worried about his wife finding out about his sexual preferences.” He told deputies Marjorie had threatened to expose the affair and he had taken out loans to pay her to keep quiet.
Jayme Fuller, a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said, “There is no evidence to suggest or reason to believe that this incident was a hate crime specifically targeting individuals in the transgender community.”
Mendoza-Espinoza told deputies he had sex with Marjorie before she again extorted him outside his mobile home on Sept. 17, He said they argued and “he flipped out” and beat her to death.”
Location: Tunnel underneath Central Ave SW and 136th St SW, Albuquerque, NM, on 09/26/2023
Personal Information:
PGH Lesbian: “Sherlyn was a drag performer. Her last performance was in Rio Rancho the night she disappeared. According to her social media profiles, she has lived in Tijuana, California as well as Mexico City. Most recently, she lived in Albuquerque.
Her social media featured the quote “El beso es el regalo del niño, la bendición de los padres y la mascara del hipócrita” that translates to “The kiss is the gift of the child, the blessing of the parents and the mask of the hypocrite.”
Murder Suspect:
Jose Juan Mendoza-Espinoza
29 | Latino
Birthdate: 1994
Motive: Domestic Violence
Charged: Murder
Hate Crime: No
Current Status: Awaiting Trial
Case ID: D-202-CR-202302600
File Date: 10/23/2023
Last Update: 02/27/2024
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, NM
State of New Mexico v. JOSE JUAN MENDOZA ESPINOZA (Use Case ID)
Report: “During questioning at the Sheriff’s Office, he allegedly told investigators he was in “a clandestine sexual relationship” with Marjorie and “compensating her for her silence regarding their relationship.”
In other words, the defendant told law enforcement he was being blackmailed by the woman he allegedly later killed.
…after Mendoza-Espinoza had paid Marjorie an unspecified amount of money, she asked for an additional $5,000 and threatened to disclose their relationship to his wife if she wasn’t paid.”
News Timeline: 10/12/2023 | 10/13/2023 | 10/13/2023 | 10/14/2023 | 10/23/2023 | 10/24/2023
Aguirre, J. (2023, October 14). Tribute Event for Sherlyn Marjorie. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02yRVt7SL2qaxyWPaNc4FojpZScpsXjh4srVfnJk5554bj3GGkTkPLfiVP4C8nJvspl&id=100056880308949&mibextid=Nif5oz&paipv=0&eav=AfbFtjYVbpOtPfqG8J-CTDcLXFRCtHMUXv5JkioAiqvJgFmstCIvVEFJGlRcSGYqMek&_rdr
Fuller-Gonzales, J. (2023, October 12). HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION UPDATE: SUSPECT IN CUSTODY AND CHARGED – Sherlyn Marjorie. Bernalillo County Sheriff. https://www.bernco.gov/bernalillo-county-sheriff/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2023/10/PressRelease.10.12.2023.pdf
Garcia, V. C. C. (2023, October 14). Facebook Tribute Page – Sherlyn Marjorie. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02fCTKP3tWzJdJeS1iYSZSK1pUtMNJEDQYUCtJuMvV8LVAgsLHw2iUGvtBKbqMvUUtl&id=100088584687611
Kalmbacher, C. (2023, October 13). Married man in secret relationship with transgender woman blamed murder on threat to expose ‘clandestine’ affair: Sheriff – Sherlyn Marjorie. Law&Order. https://lawandcrime.com/crime/married-man-in-secret-relationship-with-transgender-woman-blamed-murder-on-threat-to-expose-clandestine-affair-sheriff/
Lhant, V. (2023, October 23). Remembering Sherlyn Marjorie, Latina Trans Woman Killed in Albuquerque. Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/news/remembering-sherlyn-marjorie-latina-trans-woman-killed-in-albuquerque
Metropolitan Detention Center. (2023, October 11). Mendoza-Espinoza , Jose Juan – booking 23-13691 – Sherlyn Marjorie. Bernalillo CO, Metropolitan Detention Center, NM. https://viaintfacep2.bernco.gov/custodylist/Detail/21705749629090
Reisen, M. (2023, October 13). Man charged in woman’s beating death on West Side – Sherlyn Marjorie. Yahoo!News. https://news.yahoo.com/man-charged-womans-beating-death-030200334.html
Ring, T. (2023, October 24). Trans Woman Sherlyn Marjorie Killed in Albuquerque, Her Former Partner Charged With Murder. Advocate. https://www.advocate.com/crime/trans-woman-sherlyn-marjorie-killed
Rudolfo, E. L. (2023, October 23). State of New Mexico v. JOSE JUAN MENDOZA ESPINOZA – Sherlyn Marjorie – D-202-CR-202302600. New Mexico Courts Case Lookup. https://caselookup.nmcourts.gov/caselookup/app
Sue. (2023, October 14). 35 Year Old Trans Latina Sherlyn Marjorie Killed in Albuquerque. PGH Lesbian. https://www.pghlesbian.com/2023/10/35-year-old-trans-latina-sherlyn-marjorie-killed-in-albuquerque/
Images are publicly available through public sources, personal posts, family members and information websites as well as stills from cited videos and news websites. Images are digitally enhanced for artistic purposes. All information is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge at time of publishing. Updates will be made as needed.