Colorado – A Colorado woman is currently on trial, facing two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abuse of a c-rpse in connection with the deaths of her former husband’s chiIdren, 5-year-old Je sus and 3-year-old Yesennia. The children were reported missing in the summer of 2018, but no missing persons reports were filed at that time. Their remains were discovered last year, leading to the charges against the defendant, 37-year-old C. Minjerez, and the children’s parent, J. Domenguez.
The investigation began in January last year when Colorado authorities were alerted to a suspicious storage unit. Upon inspection, they discovered a metal container filled with hardened concrete, which contained the remains of a child. DNA testing confirmed the remains were those of the 3-year-old girl. Subsequently, one month later, the remains of her sibling were found in a suitcase in the trunk of a car at a local scrapyard. The vehicle was registered to the defendant.
In the course of the investigation, police interviewed both the defendant and the victim’s dad. During these interviews, the victim’s dad admitted to the murders and agreed to testify against the woman in exchange for a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2025.
Relatives of the defendant told Colorado authorities they were concerned about the strict discipline she used with the young children, including reportedly locking the girl in a room until she finished a carrot. Her teenage son said he confronted her over what he described as excessive physical punishment toward the boy including slapping him and locking both children in their bedrooms for extended periods.
He told detectives he believed the woman took out her anger from her tense relationship with their father on the children. Another relative told investigators that the defendant had expressed regret about having children, saying life would have been “so much easier” if she had not. A friend of the defendant told Colorado authorities she allegedly confessed to hiding both children’s bodies after they both died the exact same way of accidental causes.
Defense attorney Becki, representing the children’s parent, stated that the woman was jealous of the children’s biological mother, suspecting her of being involved with her former husband.
The defendant’s trial commenced on August 11, 2025, with opening statements presented by both the prosecution and defense. The prosecution alleges that the woman, motivated by jealousy and resentment toward the children’s biological mother, played a significant role in the children’s deaths. The defense contends that the woman was not involved in the killings and that the evidence against her is circumstantial.
