A Colorado woman has gone on trial accused of killing her two young children and concealing their bodies for nearly a decade, in a case prosecutors have described as “disturbing and calculated.”
Corena Minjarez, 37, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder of a victim under 12 by a person in a position of trust, and two counts of abuse of a corpse, over the 2018 deaths of her children, Jesus Dominguez Jr., 5, and his sister, Yesenia, 3.
Prosecutors allege Minjarez, together with the children’s father, Jesus Dominguez, killed the siblings before hiding their remains in separate locations — one in a container filled with hardened concrete inside a storage unit, the other in a suitcase in the trunk of her car.
Father pleads guilty and will testify.y
Dominguez, who allegedly had a volatile relationship with Minjarez, has accepted a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against her, local newspaper The Pueblo Chieftain reported.
Court testimony from police detectives at an October 2024 preliminary hearing indicated the pair stored the bodies at Kings Storage in Pueblo, Colorado, and inside Minjarez’s vehicle.
History of alleged abuse
Prosecutors claim Minjarez became increasingly hostile toward the children, driven by anger over her relationship with Dominguez and jealousy toward their biological mother.
Family members reportedly told investigators they had concerns about her treatment of the siblings. In one alleged incident, Minjarez locked Yesenia in a room and forced her to finish eating a carrot — prompting her teenage son to confront her for being too harsh, according to testimony.
A friend of Minjarez allegedly told police that she had privately admitted the children died “the same way” of what she described as accidental causes, before she hid their bodies.
Mother’s suspicions lead to discovery.
The case came to light in January 2024 when Minjarez’s mother contacted police, expressing concern about a large metal container filled with concrete inside her daughter’s storage unit, which was due to be cleared out after the couple was evicted.
She also told investigators she had noticed a foul smell coming from Minjarez’s car in the summer of 2018 and had observed other troubling signs over the years.
Police responded to Kings Storage on January 20 and searched the container, finding the remains of Yesenia in an advanced state of decomposition. An autopsy concluded her death was caused by “homicidal violence,” although a precise cause could not be determined due to the condition of the remains. The second child was found in the car trunk.
Two weeks later, detectives located Minjarez’s car at a scrap yard. A search of the vehicle revealed a suitcase in the trunk containing the remains of Jesus. His autopsy also recorded “homicidal violence” as the manner of death.
Investigators say no missing person reports were ever filed for either child.
Trial underway
Jury selection in Minjarez’s trial began on Monday, and the proceedings are expected to continue until August 29. Dominguez, who took his plea deal on July 10, is on the prosecution’s witness list and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12.
M10News Crime Desk | Contact: info@m10news.com
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