Elko woman guilty of 2nd degree-murder in daughter’s death

ELKO, Nev. (AP) — An Elko County woman has been convicted of second-degree murder in the death of her adult daughter in 2020. Prosecutors say 62-year-old Judith Zavala “snapped” and strangled the 24-year-old with autism because of pent up emotional stress from serving as her primary caregiver for decades. Elko County Deputy District Attorney Justin Barainca had asked jurors to find her guilty of first-degree murder. The Elko Daily Free Press reports the juryy returned the verdict on the lesser charge on Thursday. Public defender Kelsey Angeley told jurors that Zavala had not left her home in two years and finally “broke” after “years of exhaustion” and “months of desperation”