Roosevelt County man pleads guilty in beating death

Subrina Calderon survived multiple beatings over several days just long enough to identify her attacker to law enforcement. Now that killer is headed to prison.

Thomas Lopez, 33, on Monday pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in connection with Calderon’s death in February 2022.

District Judge Donna Mowrer sentenced Lopez to 18 years in prison as part of the plea agreement, according to a news release from District Attorney Quentin Ray. Lopez will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, according to the release.

Lopez’s attorney, Megan Mitsunaga of Albuquerque, declined to comment on the case.

Roosevelt County Sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 23, 2022, responded to Roosevelt General Hospital where they spoke with Calderon, 26. She said she had been kidnapped and beaten with a golf club multiple times over the course of three days.

Calderon told police she arrived at the hospital with a man later identified as Lopez. Calderon initially told hospital personnel she had fallen down some stairs. Lopez left the hospital grounds and Calderon, according to court records, told hospital personnel that Lopez “was hitting her with golf clubs, bit her on the ear and punched her with closed fists.”

Hospital staff told the deputies they noticed that Calderon had bruises on her body and dried blood near her ears.

Calderon told deputies she had come to Portales from Carlsbad and that she and Lopez were in what she described as an “on and off relationship for the past year.”

Calderon said abuse had been going on for about a month in a house in rural Roosevelt County where she was kept in a room without being allowed to leave and not allowed to use the bathroom.

Calderon told the deputies she was unable to defend herself because Lopez overpowered her.

Calderon alleged that at one point she and Lopez went out to a barn where he tied her to a chair and hit her several times “full force” with a golf club.

Calderon detailed a number of times that Lopez struck her with closed fists. Calderon also detailed times that Lopez pulled her around by her hair and tried to strangle her.

Calderon told the deputies she did not leave the house where the beatings took place because she had no idea where she was.

Calderon’s family members took her from the Portales hospital to Carlsbad, where she was soon airlifted to a hospital in Roswell where she died on Feb. 28.

An autopsy showed Calderon died as a result of injuries she described to police.