Slain woman’s family demands harsher sentence for man who helped hide body
The family of a 22-year-old Las Vegas woman found dead in the desert last year 11 days after she disappeared demanded on Monday that the man who pleaded guilty last week to helping hide her body face a harsher sentence.
Jose Rangel, 46, faces up to two years behind bars at an August sentencing hearing after he pleaded guilty Friday to charges of destroying evidence and accessory to commit murder. Rangel has admitted to helping his son, Erick Rangel-Ibarra, 25, drag Lesly Palacio’s body out of their Las Vegas home and flee to Mexico, according to court records.
Rangel surrendered to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in San Diego on Jan. 19. His son, who faces a murder charge, remains on the lam.
Ofelia Markarian, the Palacio family’s attorney, said Monday that Palacio’s relatives were “shocked and in complete disbelief” when they heard Rangel faced a maximum of two years in prison.
“Jose Rangel helped his son drag Lesly’s lifeless body out of his house, into Erick’s truck, watching Erick drive away with Lesly’s body, knowing exactly what his son did,” Markarian said. “Jose Rangel was the last person to have contact with Erick and today, he only faces a maximum of two years.”
During the news conference, which was held outside the family’s home, Lesly Palacio’s sister Kaly Palacio translated for their mother, Aracely Palacio, who argued through sobs that criminals have faced harsher sentences for drug charges.
“Where is the justice?” Markarian said tearfully.
Kaly Palacio said the only way her family will see justice is if Rangel-Ibarra is locked up for life, adding that her family is scared to go outside knowing that he remains out of custody.
The family has planned a protest in downtown Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. They will meet outside the Clark County Detention Center at 3:30 p.m. and march in front of Las Vegas Justice Court, Kaly Palacio said.
The news conference came three days after Rangel pleaded guilty.
“I accept what I’m at fault for, and I feel really bad for what happened,” Rangel said through a Spanish-language interpreter Friday, on a video feed from the Clark County Detention Center.
Prosecutors have said surveillance video showed Rangel and his son placing Palacio’s body into a pickup truck on Aug. 29, before Rangel-Ibarra drove off.
Palacio’s body was found in Moapa Valley near Valley of Fire State Park in September, according to court records. She was last seen by family when she went to get drinks with Rangel-Ibarra on the day she was killed.
Authorities said the two men fled to Mexico after the killing. When Rangel surrendered, he said he was previously with his son, but the two had split up.
Anyone with information regarding Rangel-Ibarra’s whereabouts may contact Las Vegas police at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.
