BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. — A judge gave a life sentence to a Bernalillo County man who murdered a woman in 2023 over an affair investigators said they had.

Jose Mendoza-Espinoza was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison, plus 12 years, for murdering 35-year-old Sherlyn Marjorie.

Investigators say he had been having an affair with Marjorie for years, according to the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office. Deputies say Mendoza-Espinoza claimed she threatened to tell his family about the ongoing affair.

Marjorie went missing in 2023. Her friends found her car abandoned, then her body was found in a ditch.

Marjorie was a transgender woman and a well-known local drag performer.