Left inset: Melanie Camacho. Right inset: Vicente Jasso (Madera County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The AutoZone in Madera, Calif., where Melanie Camacho was last seen before being murdered by her ex-boyfriend Vicente Jasso (Google Maps).
A 25-year-old man from California has been sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and murder of his former girlfriend, a 19-year-old who went missing after leaving her job at AutoZone. Her body was discovered in an orchard three days later.
On Thursday, Judge Ernest LiCalsi of the Madera County Superior Court sentenced Vicente Jasso to life imprisonment without parole, plus an additional term of 25 years to life and another 4 years and 4 months for the 2023 murder of Melanie Camacho, according to authorities.
On March 18, a jury found Jasso guilty of first-degree murder and confirmed a special circumstance that the murder took place during a kidnapping.
As per a statement from the Madera County District Attorney’s Office, the sentencing concludes a case that saw significant participation from the victim’s family.
The prosecution expressed gratitude to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office for their “dedication and perseverance in achieving justice,” and also commended the Camacho family for their “resilience, bravery, and ongoing involvement throughout the process.”
Camacho was last seen on the night of November 24, 2023, after completing her work shift at an AutoZone on Gateway Drive in Madera.
As Law&Crime previously reported, police said she was last seen leaving work around 10:15 p.m. and texted her mother about an hour later to say she planned to meet a friend. When she did not return home, her mother reported her missing early the next morning.
Investigators later determined that the meeting was not with a friend, but with Jasso, her ex-boyfriend, with whom she had recently broken up.
“Detectives spoke with the friend [Camacho] told her mom she’d be meeting, who reported they never met after work, but rather Melanie planned to meet with an ‘ex’ to either give or receive something,” the police statement said.
Within hours of the missing persons report, authorities located Camacho’s burned 2014 white Nissan Altima. The discovery, along with witness accounts and surveillance footage, led detectives to identify Jasso and his associate, Jose Lopez-Hernandez, as suspects.
A search warrant executed at Lopez-Hernandez’s home ultimately led investigators to a nearby orchard, where Camacho’s body was found three days after she vanished.
Police said Jasso fled when officers attempted to stop him the following day, leading authorities on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of more than 110 mph. During the pursuit, he allegedly threw some of Camacho’s belongings — including her driver’s license — out of the vehicle.
The chase ended after officers deployed a spike strip. Jasso briefly escaped on foot before being captured with the assistance of a police helicopter.
Lopez-Hernandez later pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed Camacho’s exact cause of death.
In announcing the sentence, prosecutors said their thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones as they continue to cope with the loss.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Camacho family as they continue to navigate this unimaginable loss,” the district attorney’s office said.
