Marioara Shand was brutally murdered in her Ranchos de Taos apartment in New Mexico, which she had recently moved into in 2002. The killer, who was later found via DNA evidence, was her landlord's grandson, whom she had picked up on the morning of July 7 before she went missing.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of abuse and suicide. Readers' discretion is advised.
Two days later, her dead body was found by police on the apartment floor. She was stabbed 14 stab times and her neck was slashed twice. An autopsy confirmed that she was also r*ped and the DNA found on her inner thighs matched the landlord's grandson, 17-year-old Nathaniel Duran. He was later convicted of r*pe and murder and reportedly died by suicide while serving a life sentence in prison.
Marioara Shand's murder case will feature on Murder in My House on ID in an episode titled Blood Everywhere.
The synopsis states:
"No one knows who would want to hurt Marioara Shand, a shy, friendly woman; then, about a week later, another single woman is stabbed in Taos, N.M.; this nightmare leaves more questions than answers as police investigate."
The upcoming episode will air on the channel this Tuesday, April 11, at 9:00 pm ET.
Multiple stab wounds, DNA evidence, and more details about Marioara Shand's murder case
1) Police found Shand's body at a bloody crime scene
In 2002, Marioara Shand, who had recently moved into an apartment in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, was found dead by police on July 9 at a bloody crime scene. Reports state that the 36-year-old was found lying in a pool of blood on the floor with multiple stab wounds.
Taos County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Rick Medina, who was the first officer at the crime scene, revealed that "there was blood all over the walls and on the floor there appeared to have been a struggle."
2) The 36-year-old sustained 14 stab wounds and her neck was slashed twice
An autopsy confirmed that Marioara Shand was stabbed 14 times and that her throat was slashed twice. Moreover, she was r*ped and authorities were able to extract DNA evidence from her inner thighs. The crime scene suggested that Shand and her attacker likely got into a fight, but authorities were unable to find signs of a forced entry.
3) DNA evidence linked Duran to the killing
Authorities learned that on the morning of the murder, July 7, Shand picked up her next-door neighbor and landlord's grandson, Nathaniel Duran, in her car before going missing. They were then able to link Duran, then 17, to the crime after his DNA matched the sample collected from the victim's thigh. He maintained his innocence but claimed to have had consensual s*x with Shand. He was then charged in connection with the killing.
4) Authorities learned Shand went missing the morning she picked up Duran
A testimony during Duran's trial revealed that a shopping receipt found in Marioara Shand's apartment suggested that on the evening of July 6, 2002, she ran a few errands, including purchasing cleaning supplies sometime around 8:20 pm. The next morning, Shand went to pick up Nathaniel Duran but failed to report to work afterwards. Her body was then found by the police two days later on July 9.
5) Nathaniel Duran was convicted and died by suicide while in prison
Duran was found guilty of first-degree murder, criminal s*xual penetration while armed with a deadly weapon, and tampering with evidence in December 2003. The following year in March, he was sentenced to life for first-degree murder in addition to a nine-year sentence for criminal s*xual penetration, and an 18-month sentence for evidence tampering.
However, on January 21, 2008, the 23-year-old convict died by suicide as he hung himself with a bed sheet while serving time at the New Mexico State Penitentiary in Santa Fe.
Murder in My House on ID airs this Tuesday at 9:00 pm ET.