PORTALES, N.M. (Press Release) – The following is a press release from the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Ninth Judicial District Attorney, Andrea Reeb, announced that on December 11, 2019, a Roosevelt County jury found Esperanza Tarango, age 24, of Portales, guilty of Kidnapping, a first degree felony; Burglary, a third degree felony; and Aggravated Battery, a third degree felony. The jury heard three days of testimony and deliberated about three and one-half hours before returning their guilty verdicts.
In October of 2018, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Roosevelt General Hospital where victim, Albert Pino, was being treated for injuries to his face and chest, as well as burns on his back. Pino told deputies that he was taken in a vehicle by 2 males and female to location in the country. They bound Pino’s wrists and beat him with a hatchet type instrument and burned him on his back with an unknown implement. They also shot him in the chest with a BB or pellet gun and fired a handgun into the ground beside him. Pino said they were demanding to know where a certain “bag” was. Pino was then taken back to his home, where he ran to Allsups to call 911.
The co-defendants in the case, Morgan Howl and Anthony Gomez both testified at the trial. They both previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, and were sentenced to five years in prison.
The Honorable Donna J. Mowrer presided over the trial and ordered that sentencing be held at a later date. Tarango is facing 26 years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections.
Deputy District Attorney, Quentin Ray and Assistant District Attorney, Mitchell Mender, prosecuted the case for the State. Criminal Defense Attorney, Jonathan Miller of Albuquerque, represented Tarango.
(This is a press release from the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office)