Third woman pleads in Texico child abuse case

The third woman accused in a Texico child abuse case pleaded guilty last week to the allegations against her.

Lora Melancon, 43, faces up to six years in prison amid allegations that five children in the home where she also lived were beaten, starved and chained.

State District Judge Fred Van Soelen on Monday agreed to postpone sentencing until Aug. 14 so that the defendant can gather witnesses to speak on her behalf.

The sentence can range from six years to a conditional discharge.

State Children, Youth and Families Department workers investigated the home of Jayme Kushman, 38, and Jaime Sena, 30, in July 2022. Video evidence showed poor living conditions and no running water.

The five children in the home were subjected to wearing alarms and undergoing paddling, records show.

Kushman received a 15-year sentence on six accounts of child abuse without great bodily harm on July 13. Sena received a six-year sentence in prison on four counts of child abuse without great bodily harm on June 7, according to court records.

The arrests of Kushman and Sena led to the arrest of Kushman’s former partner, Melancon. Melancon had lived with Kushman between February and March 2020 at the Curry Road address when the child abuse incidents took place, according to court records.

Court records show Melancon chained one of the children to a wall, also referred to as the “kennel,” and did not allow the child to leave that spot for extended periods of time.