West Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Girlfriend After Break-Up

A Midland man was charged back in 2023 with the murder of his ex-girlfriend after she broke things off between them. On February 20, 2026, he pleaded guilty and received a 35-year prison sentence as a result.

A Texas Break-Up Gone Wrong

In May of 2023, Midland Police officers conducted a wellness check on Madeline Pantoja. Several people close to the woman stated that they hadn't heard from her in nearly 24 hours. Officers questioned several family members, including her boyfriend, 24-year-old Mario Juan Chacon.

Chacon immediately raised suspicions after he was noticeably calm about the situation and repeated multiple times when asked over the phone that he was with his dad all day—something that the caller found odd.

Some people close with Madeline also told police that they visited her apartment shortly after she stopped responding. Here they found her purse, keys, her dog, and her car still parked in the lot.

There was also a dirty mop sitting next to the front door and the floor around the area was noticeably sticky. When asked, it was confirmed that Chacon did indeed have his own keys to her apartment.

Officers questioned the neighbors who stated that they heard screaming between the couple around 1:30 a.m. before Madeline went missing, but that it wasn't uncommon and they had learned to try and tune it out.

Holes in Chacon's Story

Midland PD brought Chacon in for questioning and he proceeded to tell them a slightly different story than he did before after they found damage to Madeline's bedroom door and a dark-red stain on her bed.

Investigators noticed numerous inconsistencies in Chacon's alibi, and he eventually refused to provide any more information before leaving the interview.

Shortly after this, a search was conducted around the area that Chacon's pickup truck was seen traveling the night Madeline went missing. Here they found human remains bearing jewelry that Madeline was known to wear.

Chacon's Arrest and Sentencing

Chacon was taken into custody shortly after where he was charged with the first-degree murder of Madeline Pantoja.

On February 20, 2026, Chacon pleaded guilty, receiving 35 years for murder and 20 years for tampering with evidence which he will serve concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.