Hospice Administrator Guilty of Murder

mySA reports that a jury has found a former South Texas hospice administrator guilty of capital murder for killing an elderly McAllen man to gain access to his money and estate. Monica Melissa Patterson, 50, the daughter of Hector “Tito” Palacios, a former Hidalgo County Precinct 2 Commissioner and former Mayor of San Juan, was convicted Wednesday in the asphyxiation death of Martin Knell, 96. The state decided not to seek the death penalty in the case, so the conviction carries an automatic life sentence without parole. In addition, Patterson was convicted of theft of property of $200,000 or more