Mayo pleads guilty to child sexual penetration; family members describe years of trauma during sentencing

A Socorro county man has been sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to raping one of his children.

Stanley Mayo, 52, pleaded guilty Friday in Seventh Judicial District Court to one felony charge of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Penetration of a child under 13 years of age. Judge Shannon Murdock sentenced Mayo to 18 years in state prison. 

Mayo, who has already been in custody for the pleaded charge as well as five other felonies related to the crime, signed the plea agreement for an 18-year sentence. The other felony charges were dismissed by the prosecutor.

According to the court transcripts from the plea hearing at the Seventh Judicial District Court, one relative of the victim asked the court to impose the maximum sentence, arguing that “history repeats itself” and that this was not the first time the family had been harmed.

Murdock sentenced Mayo to 18 years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections, with at least 5% of his sentence required to be served before parole eligibility. Judge Murdock explained during sentencing that Mayo will receive credit for time already served and must register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Family members told the judge the teen was affected by years of anxiety, depression, trust issues and the difficulty of navigating the court process, which has stretched on for four years.

The teen, who was under the age of 13 when the allegations were made, said she has struggled with PTSD, severe anxiety, depression, insomnia and physical symptoms that make daily life difficult. 

She also described the broader toll on her family, including the deterioration of her mother’s mental and physical health and her mother’s death. Addressing Mayo directly at the sentencing hearing, with the court’s permission, she said he “stripped [her] innocence and dignity” and said she hoped he would spend his sentence reflecting on the harm he caused.