A now-former substitute teacher for the Marfa Independent School District faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.
Sonya Conchita Murillo, 32, was arrested in June 2023 and has been in federal custody ever since. Marfa ISD’s superintendent confirmed at the time that Murillo was an on-call substitute teacher with the district, but declined further comment.
Murrillo’s one-time boyfriend Patricio Javier “PJ” Serrano, a youth softball coach in Marfa, was arrested in May 2023 for possessing child sexual abuse materials featuring images and videos of prepubescent boys.
While investigating Serrano, authorities discovered at least eight Snapchat videos of Murillo performing sexual acts on a young child.
Investigators said Murillo’s face and an identifiable tattoo were “in full and plain view” in the videos.
Murillo pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.
Serrano, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child porn. He faces five to 20 years in prison for the transportation charge and up to 20 years for the possession charge.
The U.S. Department of Justice brought the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
State records show Murillo was not issued a Texas teaching certificate. She is not listed in the state’s “Do Not Hire Registry” of people who are not eligible for hire in a Texas public school based on misconduct or criminal history.
Marfa ISD is a one-school district in West Texas with about 30 full-time teachers and fewer than 300 students.
In February 2023, a teacher at nearby Valentine ISD who had previously taught in Marfa was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material. While detained, Albert Ackley also confessed to having sexual contact with children in the past, two of which had been victims while he was working in Marfa ISD.
Dozens of Texas teachers have been charged with child pornography and other sex crimes involving children.
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