A 34-year-old man in New Mexico faces second-degree murder and evidence tampering charges in the death of his 33-year-old girlfriend.
Melvin Becenti is accused of beating and strangling Kelsie Todacheeny at a home on the 2400 block of East 20th Street in Farmington.
Police responded to a medical call at the residence around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2024, and found Todacheeny dead. Becenti, her longtime boyfriend, told officers he had left to buy dog food at Walmart and returned to discover her body. Officers noted that Walmart was closed at the time.
Investigators recovered videos in which Becenti allegedly threatened Todacheeny, including one where he said, "You are going to die tonight." An autopsy determined she died from asphyxial injuries and blunt trauma, with the manner ruled a homicide.
Becenti is set to appear in court on July 31.