'I turned into the devil': Moises Mendoza, a 'sadistic' killer, set for Texas execution
'I turned into the devil': Moises Mendoza, a 'sadistic' killer, set for Texas execution
Five years ago this April, a rapist and killer described by one prosecutor as one of the most "violent, sadistic men" he'd ever encountered, was sentenced to Texas' death row.
Now Moises Sandoval Mendoza, 40, is set to die by lethal injection on Wednesday for the murder of 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson on March 18, 2004, in Farmersville, Texas. If the execution moves forward, Mendoza will be the third inmate executed in Texas this year and the 13th in the nation.
At the time of her death, Tolleson was a new mother to her 6-month-old daughter Avery. Tolleson enjoyed activities like scrapbooking and shopping, but her mother Pam O'Neil said it was Avery who was "her oxygen."
"Avery was her life and I was so proud of her when she became a mommy. Everything just came so naturally to her,' O'Neil told The Courier-Gazette about a year after Tolleson's death. "I hate that Avery won't have memories of her."
Over the years, Mendoza's case has gained a sort of notoriety. In 2006, his case was featured in the 10th season of "Forensic Files" and in 2008, the Investigation Discovery series "Solved" highlighted Tolleson's murder.
On April 2, Mendoza's lawyers asked for the opportunity to challenge Mendoza's conviction in federal court.
As Mendoza's execution approaches, USA TODAY is looking back at the crime, who Mendoza and his victim were and what led him down a path that will end in his own execution.
What was Moises Mendoza convicted of?
In the early hours of March 18, 2004, Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson was at home with her 6-month-old daughter Avery in Farmersville, Texas, a small town about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. Tolleson and Avery lived there alone, as Tolleson was in the middle of a divorce.
Mendoza let himself inside Tolleson's house through a back door that night, he told police, per court documents. The two then left, leaving baby Avery at home, to get a pack of cigarettes, Mendoza told police.
Mendoza told police that he drove a little while before he began to choke Tolleson in his vehicle "for no reason," according to court documents. Mendoza then drove the two to a field near his house, where he raped her before choking her again, court documents say.
Mendoza told police that he then dragged Tolleson out of his truck and choked her again until he thought she was dead. To make sure, he "poked her throat" with a knife. Mendoza left her body in the field, where it remained for a few days before he was interviewed by police about Tolleson's disappearance, court records say.
Paranoid, Mendoza wrapped Tolleson's body in a tarp and moved it to his cousin's land in a more remote area, just a few miles east of Farmersville. He then dumped the body in a "dug-out pit" and set it on fire to "destroy the fingerprints," he told police, as reported by The Courier Gazette.
A few days later, a man searching for arrowheads found Tolleson's charred body, according to The Courier-Gazette reporting.
Mendoza was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
Before his conviction and sentencing, Mendoza wrote to his parents, telling them he didn't have a reason for what he did. "I don't know what happened to me at that moment. I turned into the devil and after I did something that I thought was in a dream," Mendoza wrote, according to The Courier-Gazette.
Who is Moises Mendoza?
Neighbors described Mendoza as "hard-working" but said he changed as he got older, recounting a "violent argument" when he pinned down his mother and sister in their front yard once, as previously reported by The Courier-Gazette.
Mendoza graduated high school, where he did "fairly well," court documents state. He received a few high school scholarships and completed about nine months of heating and air-conditioning training upon graduating.
In 2003, Mendoza was arrested for his involvement in two aggravated robberies on the Dallas College Richland Campus, according to The Courier-Gazette reporting. It was while he was out on bail for one of these robberies that Tolleson went missing, the 2006 "Forensic Files" episode explains.
For much of their upbringing in northern Texas, Mendoza and Tolleson were actually in the same grade school classes, Tolleson's mother, Pam O'Neil, explained in a 2006 "Forensic Files" episode that outlines Mendoza's case. And the Friday before Tolleson's murder, Mendoza had been at Tolleson's house for a party of about 15 people, court documents say.
Clinical psychologist Mark Vigen described Mendoza during his trial as "immature" and "psychologically under-developed," claiming that Mendoza enjoyed getting away with "being sneaky" and got angry when others criticized him, as stated in court documents.
During Mendoza's sentencing, former Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis described Mendoza as "one of the most violent, sadistic men" he'd ever prosecuted.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Protests break out in LA over ICE detentions. See photos.
Protests break out in LA over ICE detentions. See photos. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump orders troops to LA as agents, protesters clash over immigration President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to combat violent protesters opposed to immigration enforcement. National Guard troops were on the ground in Los Angeles following weekend protests in opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration policies that saw clashes between demonstrators and police officers in riot gear. Marines at Camp Pendleton were "on high alert," according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who warned the Pentagon was ready to mobilize troops if "violence continues" in the city. On the social media platform X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called Hegseth's threat to deploy active troops on American citizens "deranged behavior." The Secretary of Defense is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens. This is deranged behavior. — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 8, 2025 In a June 8 social media post Trump said, "These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump signed a memo a day earlier deploying the guardsmen 'to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.' In an earlier post, Newsome accused Trump of deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle." "Don't give them one," added Newsom. "Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Photos of the protests show protestors carrying Mexican flags, being arrested by police or having milk poured into their eyes after getting caught in chemical agents fired by law enforcement. The protests came after the Department of Homeland Security said it arrested 118 people accused of being undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles. Contributing: Bart Jansen; USA TODAY Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Jared Leto denies allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls
Jared Leto denies allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls Jared Leto is denying allegations of inappropriate behavior with young women. In a report published by Air Mail on Saturday, June 7, multiple women alleged that the "Suicide Squad" actor, 53, behaved inappropriately with them when they were teenagers. A representative for Leto told Air Mail that "all of the allegations are expressly denied." The representative also denied an earlier allegation from Allie Teilz, a DJ who posted last month in a since-expired Instagram Story that she was "assaulted and traumatized" by Leto when she was 17, according to Air Mail. In a 2012 Facebook status update that she reposted on Instagram, Teilz wrote, "Youre (sic) not really in L.A. until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage ... In a kilt .. And a snow hat." The representative said that "Ms. Teilz's allegations are demonstrably false." USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Leto for further comment. One woman, model Laura La Rue, told Air Mail that in 2008, the actor approached her at a benefit in California and asked her how old she was. When she said she was 16, La Rue alleged Leto, then 36, still asked for her number. She said she was living in Ojai, California, at the time but that they began emailing and that she eventually went to visit him in Los Angeles in 2009. "I remember him teasing me the whole time I was there," she said. "He was flirting with me. He'd lean in close, then pull away, like it was a game." La Rue said she continued visiting Leto sporadically and claimed that on one occasion, when she was 17, he walked out of a room completely nude. A representative for Leto told Air Mail that the actor's communications with La Rue "contain nothing sexual or inappropriate," adding that "Ms. La Rue later applied to work as Mr. Leto's personal assistant, further underscoring the absence of anything inappropriate in any of their interactions." La Rue told Air Mail she did not apply to work as Leto's personal assistant. An unidentified model and music producer told Air Mail that in 2006, when she was 16, Leto grabbed her arm while she was on her way to the bathroom at a café and got her number. Days later, the actor, who would have been in his 30s at the time, allegedly called her home in the middle of the night and invited her to a party at his house, which she declined. But the woman alleged Leto continued to call her over the next three weeks, "always at one, two, three a.m.," and that the "conversations turned sexual," with the actor asking inappropriate questions about her past sexual experiences. The woman said she was shaken by Leto's behavior, and her mother, who said she overheard one of the phone calls, vouched for her daughter's account to Air Mail. "He changed − his voice, the way he talked. It scared me," the woman told Air Mail. Another woman claimed she began a texting relationship with Leto when she was underage. She said things could turn uncomfortable when she visited his home, with the actor asking her sexual questions. In an alleged encounter when she was 18, the woman claimed Leto "suddenly pulled his penis out and started masturbating," then "walked over, grabbed my hand, and put it on him." Leto's representative denied her allegations. Leto, who won the best supporting actor Oscar in 2014 for "Dallas Buyers Club," has starred in films like "Morbius" and "House of Gucci" and is the frontman of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He also stars in Disney's upcoming "Tron" sequel, "Tron: Ares," set for release in October.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Why wasn't an Amber Alert sent for the 3 sisters found dead in Washington?
The deaths of three girls in Washington state whose mother reported them missing after their father didn't return them from a custodial visit, has prompted cries for reform because an Amber Alert was never sent for the sisters. The bodies of Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered on June 2 – just days after they were reported missing by their mother, Whitney Decker. The three girls did not return home from a planned visitation with their father, Travis Decker, a former military member who is homeless and was living out of a pickup. Authorities found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards away from their father's unoccupied vehicle near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, about 148 miles east of Seattle. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals, and U.S. Border Patrol have joined the search for Travis Decker, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Now, Whitney Decker is calling for changes to Washington state's Amber Alert system and improvements in mental health care for veterans as the search for the man stretched into its sixth day on June 6, according to reports. Washington State Patrol was originally contacted on May 30 to request an Amber Alert, but the situation "did not meet the required criteria" at the time, Wenatchee police said. The agency instead issued a statewide Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) for the girls on May 31. As authorities intensify the search for Travis Decker, 32, a family attorney told local media outlets that Whitney Decker believes her daughters might still be alive had an Amber Alert been issued in the hours after they were reported missing. "She really feels that the system let her children down," Attorney Arianna Cozart said in an interview with KING 5. "It was the inadequacies in the services for our veterans that killed those children." Court filings revealed that Travis Decker had exhibited mental health issues prior to the girls' deaths. Cozart told The Seattle Times that Travis Decker had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving active service. "They did not see him as an immediate physical danger to his children, despite the fact that he had a well established history of mental health issues," Cozart added. "And had they had seen it that way, those children might still be alive. And that's the thing that is so brutal, and the one thing she's really hoping can be changed in this tragedy." Cozart did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on June 5. 'One too many': Death of 3 girls in Travis Decker's custody is a familiar tragedy Chris Loftis, spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol, reiterated to USA TODAY that the request for an Amber Alert did not meet the system's guidelines, which are set by the U.S. Department of Justice. He said that, similar to other states, Washington's system has "specific criteria" to ensure that features of the program are only used in instances where the standards have been met. According to Loftis, the criteria include: "The person(s) must be 17 or younger." "The incident must be investigated by a law enforcement agency, and the subject must be entered into the National Crime Information Center." "There must be enough descriptive information that activating the alert will assist in the recovery." "There must be reason to believe the person has been abducted." "The missing person(s) must be known to be in danger of imminent serious bodily injury or death." While the first three criteria were met, Loftis said Travis Decker had limited custodial rights, and there was not immediate legal presumption that the girls were abducted when the Amber Alert requests were submitted on May 30 and May 31. He added that law enforcement does not "automatically have clear indication that the children are in danger" in situations where a custodial parent is late returning children to another parent. Loftis noted that discussions with local law enforcement did not mention danger as a concern. Citing notes from the intake specialist for Washington State Patrol's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, Loftis said initial and follow-up reports from local police stated there was no threat of great bodily harm or death to the children at the time. The notes also showed that Travis Decker had previously "never diverted from the parenting plan in the past" and "no alarming mental health status" had been mentioned in the reports, other than "he may be 'going through a lot' after leaving the military and weathering housing and employment issues." Though the case did not meet the Amber Alert threshold, Loftis said there was "ample concern" and State Patrol had enough information to issue the EMPA. Unlike an Amber Alert, the EMPA does not send a push notification or text message to all cell phones in the targeted area about missing children. According to Loftis, issuing an EMPA allows law enforcement to post electronic fliers, send text messages and emails to listservs of people who have requested notification on all alerts, post vehicle information on highway reader boards, and promote coverage by state broadcasters. "The State of Washington handled this incident no differently than any other state with the information they had available. But all of that said, nothing, no process, and no set of standards can protect us from all evils and horrors," Loftis said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We learn from every tragedy, and I'm sure we will review and learn from this set of tragedies, but the depth of this sorrow is beyond a learning opportunity right now, it is a tragedy first and forever." Community mourns amid manhunt: Who were Olivia, Evelyn and Paityn Decker? The three girls were found dead by apparent suffocation in a remote campground, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. Whitney Decker had reported the children missing on May 30 after they left their central Washington home to visit their father. On June 2, a Chelan County deputy found an unoccupied truck at about 3:45 p.m. local time near the Rock Island Campground. Officers found the bodies of the missing girls soon after, down a small embankment, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. While Travis Decker was nowhere to be found, investigators traced his cell phone, which revealed that he visited the same campground the day before the kidnapping, the court documents show. Travis Decker is wanted on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder, and custodial interference in connection with the deaths, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. In an update on June 4, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said Travis Decker may have scoped out a hiding location before going off the grid using his extensive military and outdoor survival training. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Anthony Robledo, and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Death of 3 Decker sisters: Why wasn't Amber Alert issued?
