A Madera County jury has convicted Vicente Jasso of murdering his ex-girlfriend Melanie Camacho, whose body was found in an orchard after she went missing from her AutoZone job in 2023. Jasso faces life in prison following the verdict on murder with special circumstances of kidnapping and robbery. A friend of Jasso pleaded guilty to being an accessory and served three years.
Vicente Jasso, 23 at the time of his arrest, was found guilty by a Madera County jury on Wednesday of first-degree murder with special circumstances including kidnapping and robbery in the death of 19-year-old Melanie Camacho. Court records confirm the conviction, with sentencing scheduled for April 16. Jasso now faces life in prison for the killing, which occurred after the pair broke up days before Thanksgiving 2023. Camacho had a brief dating history with Jasso, who has prior arrests dating back to 2016 for domestic violence, witness intimidation, evading, and reckless driving, according to Fresno ABC affiliate KFSN and police reports. Camacho was last seen leaving her shift at an AutoZone on Gateway Drive in Madera around 10:15 p.m. on November 24, 2023. Surveillance and witnesses placed her 2014 white Nissan Altima nearby at 10:30 p.m. She texted her mother around 11 p.m., saying she planned to meet a friend after work. The mother reported her missing the next morning at 6:45 a.m. The friend Camacho mentioned told detectives they never met, but that she intended to see her 'ex' to give or receive something. Within two hours of the missing person report, police found Camacho's car on fire in the area. Witnesses reported a blue Ford Mustang with a black hood nearby, which surveillance linked to Jose Lopez-Hernandez, Jasso's friend. Questioning Lopez-Hernandez and a search of his home led police to Camacho's body in an orchard near a rural highway. Cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. Jasso became the primary suspect. Officers spotted him driving a minivan in Madera around 7 a.m. the next day. A chase ensued with speeds over 110 mph, during which he tossed Camacho's belongings, including her driver's license, from the window. California Highway Patrol used a spike strip to stop him; he fled on foot but was captured with police helicopter assistance. Lopez-Hernandez pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in February 2025 and was sentenced to three years, from which he has been released.
