EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A 31-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother in 2022, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Feb. 10 in a news release.
The Third Judicial DA’s Office said Dillon Alexander Waller, 31, was sentenced after being found guilty of the first-degree murder of his mother, Cynthia Berendzen. Waller was also sentenced to an additional three years for tampering with evidence, the Third Judicial DA’s Office added.
The sentences will be served consecutively, the DA’s Office said.
As we previously reported, on Nov. 21, 2022, Las Cruces Police were called to do a welfare check on Berendzen, who according to neighbors had not been seen in a few weeks.
Officers discovered a strong odor of bleach and found Berendzen’s decomposed body in the shower, the DA’s Office said.
The DA’s Office said that following Waller’s arrest, he initially denied any involvement in his mother’s death but later confessed to strangling her while she slept.
Waller admitted to moving her body to the shower, cleaning the scene, and attempting to cover up the crime with the help of a friend, the DA’s Office said.
“This sentence reflects the gravity of the crime and serves as a reminder that justice will be served for victims and their families,” District Attorney Fernando Macias said. “We hope today’s decision provides some measure of closure for her family and the community.”
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