ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque woman facing a murder charge after deputies said she neglected her elderly mother is free Tuesday night. According to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Irma Valenzuela was the primary caretaker of her mother. Deputies said the mother was unable to leave her room and when deputies found her body, she had several broken bones and weighed only 66 pounds. Court documents reveal Valenzuela told deputies her mother had fallen several times in the weeks leading to her death.
Valenzuela was arrested last month and the state asked to keep her in custody through trial. “There is no way to monitor behavior or predict when she might not respect another future individual,” said Prosecutor Ashlee Mills.
The judge denied the motion. Valenzuela has since been released and is facing murder and neglect charges.
