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South Valley woman accused of negligence in mother's death
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A South Valley woman is accused of neglecting her 83-year-old mother until she died from lack of care earlier this year.
Irma Valenzuela, 57, of Albuquerque is charged with an open count of murder and neglect in the January death of her mother, Margarita Esquivel-Valenzuela.
Valenzuela is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Valenzuela鈥檚 attorney Chelsea Van Deventer told the Journal in an email that Valenzuela 鈥渋s not a murderer but the loving caretaker of her geriatric mother who suffered from advanced Alzheimer鈥檚.鈥�
鈥淭he ultimate outcome of Alzheimer鈥檚 is always death, and the disease and related complications are the reasons for the 83-year-old鈥檚 passing,鈥� Van Deventer said. 鈥淚t is unfortunate that the District Attorney鈥檚 Office is compounding my client鈥檚 grief by blaming her for her mother鈥檚 death from a fatal, degenerative illness.鈥�
Prosecutors filed a motion to keep Valenzuela behind bars until trial, saying, 鈥淭he victim was extremely emaciated. Many of her bones were visible and protruding.鈥�
鈥淭he defendant (her daughter) lived in the home and was determined to be the victim鈥檚 caretaker ...鈥� the motion states. 鈥淭he defendant advised she felt overwhelmed by her mother鈥檚 medical condition. That cannot serve as an excuse for neglecting her mother.鈥�
Court records state Valenzuela was arrested on Friday.
On Jan. 7, the Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office received a call of a suspicious death in the 2500 block of Apple Valley SW, between Coors and Isleta.
According to a criminal complaint filed at Metropolitan Court, when deputies arrived, they found Esquivel-Valenzuela in bed with cuts and bruises on her face. The complaint states her autopsy revealed she had pneumonia, a left femoral fracture, rib fractures and hemorrhages and abrasions to her face and neck.
Deputies said Valenzuela told them when her mother started to forget who Valenzuela was, the daughter became angry. They said she told them she had 鈥渁lready mourned her mother鈥檚 death鈥� in May 2023, the last time she took the victim to get medical care. 鈥淚 just said, 鈥榊ou know, she鈥檚 not my mom anymore. She鈥檚 somebody else.鈥欌��
The complaint said several months prior to Esquivel-Valenzuela鈥檚 death, the victim lost the ability to eat solid foods, and 鈥渄espite this, Irma did not seek medical attention for Margarita.鈥�
Deputies said when Esquivel-Valenzuela needed to go to the hospital to treat an injury, the daughter told deputies she did not know what to do. 鈥淚 should ... I know I should鈥檝e just taken her (to the hospital),鈥欌�� deputies quoted her saying in the complaint.
The complaint concludes that the 鈥渋nvestigation evidence indicates Irma Valenzuela neglected her mother Margarita Valenzuela to the point of death by willfully and deliberately depriving her of nourishment and medical care for approximately seven months; from her last medical visit in May 2023 until her death in January 2024.鈥�
