Next In Line To Die: Texas Man Burned Her Body Under A Brush Pile

According to court documents, Moises Mendoza doesn't deny that he sexually assaulted, strangled, and then "poked" a woman in the throat with a knife to make sure she was dead.

In 2004, Rachelle Tolleson was a 20-year-old mother of a five-month-old baby, who was left alone in bed awaiting the return of a mother who never appeared again.

The day after the murder, Rachelle's mother discovered the baby “on the bed, cold, wet, and alone.” Rachelle's bedroom was a wreck, and her car was still in the driveway. It must have been a horrific sight to discover.

Since Rachelle left in distress, search parties were formed immediately. However, it would be six days before her badly burned body would be found hidden face down in a pile of brush.

A medical examiner found strangulation bruises and a knife wound that “penetrated her neck all the way to her spinal column.”

It didn't take long for police to identify Mendoza as the culprit and he did confess to the crime, stating he had murdered her on a whim.

He had picked her up to grab a pack of cigarettes and began to choke her in his car for no reason, sexually assaulted her, then dragged her to a field, choked her again, and then gave her the knife wound to ensure she was dead. It sounds like a truly horrific way to die.

One of the officers who heard his confession stated that it sounded like Mendoza was bragging about the murder.

Mendoza would go on to partially recant his confession, saying he had "accidentally" murdered Rachelle after experiencing a flashback of another woman rejecting him. His defense on his appeal also attempted to state he had attachment issues with his parents, binge drank, and had brain damage. And that his prior counsel had failed to use these issues as a defense.

His appeal was not granted, and now, unless something changes, Mendoza will be executed by the State of Texas on April 23rd, 2025, a little over 20 years after the death of Rachelle.