July 5, 2023 643 PM
MARFA — Sonya Murillo, a 32-year-old Marfa resident arrested in June for sexual exploitation of children, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on four counts of production and one count of distribution of child sex abuse material.
Murillo was arrested after investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety, while “conducting a forensic review of a cell phone from a different child pornography investigation in Marfa,” discovered at least eight saved Snapchat videos of Murillo performing sexual acts on a young child, according to the criminal complaint.
The indictment states that in 2017 Murillo “did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct.” The document also states that Murillo did so “knowing or having reason to know that such visual depiction would be transported using any means.”
The indictment includes a notice of a demand for forfeiture of Murillo’s property relating to the charges. Murillo will now either enter into a plea deal or go to trial.
Bart Medley, Murillo’s attorney, declined to comment on the news of the indictment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Murillo worked as a property manager and substitute teacher with Marfa ISD. She was previously in a romantic relationship with P.J. Serrano, 35, who was arrested in May for possession of child sex abuse material, a charge to which he recently pleaded not guilty.
Murillo waived her right to a detention hearing last month and was ordered to be held without bond by Judge David Fannin. She is being held in the West Texas Detention Facility in Sierra Blanca.
