El Paso man pleads guilty to manslaughter in killing and beheading of mother

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- An El Paso man who was accused of killing his mother and beheading her was sentenced to 17 years in prison for manslaughter.

Court records confirm Fernando Alarcon pleaded guilty to the lesser charge on July 28.

Alarcon was accused of decapitating his mom Graciela Acosta in 2017. Her body was found in the westside apartment they shared.

His murder trial in April 2022 ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a verdict.

ABC-7 asked El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks why the state opted to reach a plea deal over returning to the courtroom.

"There are a lot of mental health issues involved in that case," Hicks said.

ABC-7 reported during the trial, the defense had argued that Alarcon had schizophrenia and dealt with paranoia and delusions. 

"So, working with the family, working with the facts of the case, we were left in a situation where we didn't have as strong of a case as we would like to have on a murder charge," Hicks concluded.

Hicks added that it was inconclusive whether the beheading led to Acosta's death.