Inset: Melvin Becenti (San Juan County Adult Detention Center). Background: The 2400 block of East 20th Street in Farmington, New Mexico (Google Maps).
A New Mexico man is facing a murder charge after authorities say his girlfriend was beaten and strangled to death following a chilling threat captured on video: “You are going to die tonight.”
Melvin Becenti, 34, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Kelsie Todacheeny, 33, according to San Juan County jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. He is also accused of tampering with evidence.
Farmington police said officers were called to a residence in the 2400 block of East 20th Street at about 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2024, for what was initially reported as a medical call. Farmington is located in northwestern New Mexico, near the Colorado border.
When officers arrived, they found Todacheeny dead inside the home. Investigators quickly classified the case as a “suspicious death,” saying the circumstances surrounding her death were being closely examined.
Becenti, described as Todacheeny’s longtime boyfriend, was the person who reported her death, the Tri-City Record reported, citing an arrest affidavit. He allegedly told investigators he had left the home roughly two hours earlier to buy dog food at Walmart and returned to discover her body.
Police reportedly found problems with that account. Walmart was closed at the time, officers noted, and when confronted with that detail, Becenti allegedly responded, “I guess I didn’t.” Investigators also pointed to the couple’s prior “alcohol-fueled” history of domestic violence.
A friend of Todacheeny reportedly provided police with videos showing the victim with a black eye while Becenti could allegedly be heard in the background calling her a “crackhead” and threatening to kill her, including the statement, “You are going to die tonight.” Other videos recorded two days before Todacheeny was found dead allegedly showed her asleep on a couch while a man insulted her and “manipulating” her face.
When authorities looked over Todacheeny’s body, she had “bruising beneath her left eye,” and her “right cheek also appeared swollen,” according to the affidavit. Her autopsy revealed that she died due to “asphyxial injuries and blunt trauma,” with homicide listed as the manner of death.
According to police, Becenti later conceded that he and his girlfriend “were arguing” the night of her death.
Investigators also obtained video footage from a nearby Speedway convenience store reportedly showing Becenti with a “dark-colored stain on the left side of his shirt, below the chest area,” which may have been blood.
The defendant is set to appear in court on July 31.
