Texas mom sentenced to 75 years for 'sadistic torture' of woman who weighed 68 lbs when police rescued her

 A woman in Texas was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the "sadistic torture" of a young woman who weighed 68 pounds when police rescued her.

Prosecutors said that 37-year-old Alicia Calderon tricked a 24-year-old woman into living with her at her trailer to care for her children and a disabled elderly woman in 2019. Calderon took away the woman's phone and then started making her stay in a dog crate and then severely burned her chest, arms, and back with a pot of scalding water. 

Photographs from court showed deep scarring on the victim's arm.

Prosecutors said the victim lost half of her body weight during the time she was imprisoned by Calderon.

The woman was able to send a message to her stepfather asking for help through Facebook in February 2022, according to prosecutors. The stepfather went to Calderon's residence with deputies and rescued the victim.

Investigators said the victim's head was shaved and she was covered in second- and third-degree burns. 

The stepfather told WFAA that he almost didn't recognize his stepdaughter because she was in such an emaciated state.

"I just grabbed a hold of her and got her into my truck and tried to get her away. And all she wanted to do was leave," said the stepfather. 

Her mother says she was haunted by seeing the state of her daughter.

"She had a sweater on, and it was glued to her body from the burns," the mother said. "It haunts me because I wasn't there for her."

Prosecutors said at trial that Calderon was cashing in the Social Security checks sent to the elderly woman in her care and spending the money at tattoo shops, at a party rental location, and purchasing tire rims. Her husband, Joseph Calderon, was also implicated in the incident and faces charges at his own trial.

A jury found Alicia Calderon guilty of first-degree felony of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a household member.

"We hope and pray this jury’s sentence will allow the victim to further heal from all the deep physical and emotional wounds inflicted by this defendant," said District Attorney Greg Willis.

Here's a local news report about the incident: