Mario Juan Chacon, 27, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering his ex-girlfriend Madeline Pantoja and tampering with evidence. The killing occurred in Midland, Texas, in May 2023, following their breakup. Authorities discovered Pantoja's remains inside her own coffee table after a search prompted by suspicious circumstances at her apartment.
On May 10, 2023, 20-year-old Madeline Pantoja was last heard from, having spoken with friends about plans to swim the next day at their apartment complex in Midland, Texas. When she did not respond to calls, friends visited her unit at the Palladium Museum Place Apartments on West Francis Avenue but received no answer.
The following day, May 11, police conducted a welfare check at the request of Pantoja's brother, yet again found no one at the door. On May 12, after a report of a woman's voice from inside, officers entered the apartment. They observed a mop and bucket near the entrance, an unusually sticky floor suggesting excessive cleaning, and the absence of Pantoja's coffee table. The apartment showed signs of neglect, including her dog without food or water, which friends said was out of character for her. Damage included holes in the bathroom and bedroom doors, with hair attached to the latter, a missing comforter, and a large red stain on the bedsheet.
Mario Juan Chacon, Pantoja's ex-boyfriend, initially told police he last saw her on May 9 and spoke by phone on May 10 while at home. In a follow-up interview that day, he revised his account to include dropping off a cousin at the same complex before 11 p.m. However, surveillance footage from a nearby oil company placed his truck near the apartments before 2 a.m. Further analysis of traffic cameras, private footage, and cellphone data tracked his movements from 12:26 a.m. to 3:37 a.m.
During a third interview on May 18, detectives confronted Chacon about inconsistencies in his timeline. He responded, "OK," and requested to leave, which they permitted. On May 20, using AT&T records, a search was conducted near East County Road 190 and South County Road 1138 in Midland County. Human remains, identified as Pantoja's via jewelry, were found inside her missing coffee table. Chacon was arrested that day.
An autopsy determined Pantoja died from strangulation and suffocation, with injuries from beating by hands and at least one object. Chacon was indicted for murder on July 19, 2023, and for tampering on November 19, 2025. On February 24, 2026, he pleaded guilty in Midland County District Court before Judge David G. Rogers, receiving 35 years for murder and 20 years for tampering, to run concurrently. He has been held on $3 million bond and will transfer to the Texas Department of Corrections, eligible for parole after serving half his sentence, with credit for pretrial time.