New Mexico Woman Convicted of First-Degree Murder After Man Was Tortured Over Alleged Theft

A New Mexico jury has found 45-year-old Virginia Nicasio guilty of first-degree murder in the 2024 killing of Antonio Taylor, a man prosecutors say was kidnapped, tortured and beaten to death over accusations of theft.

According to the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, Nicasio believed Taylor had stolen items from her. Prosecutors said she ordered Preston Ball, an associate, to take Taylor to a shed behind her Albuquerque home, where he was restrained and fatally beaten.

Ball previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Taylor’s death and the killing of another man. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

During Nicasio’s trial, the prosecution argued that she directed the attack. Her defense challenged the case’s reliance on Ball’s testimony, noting that he had entered a plea agreement.

The jury returned a first-degree murder verdict on September 30, 2026. Nicasio faces a sentence requiring at least 30 years in prison before she may become eligible for parole. A sentencing date had not been announced in the reports available.

The case highlights how a dispute over allegedly stolen property escalated into a fatal crime.

Source: True Crime News

Additional source: Albuquerque Journal