Her primary means of income was to bear children to a variety of men (five children with four fathers) and receiving child support from the various fathers.
At the age of 43, she convinced Jose Mario Hernandez, 23 that they were married via a ceremony, although it was not a legal ceremony. When he choose to leave her, she beat him in the head while he was sleeping with a brick. When he failed to die, she suffocated him with a pillow and then set his body on fire. Fifteen and half hour later, she contacted 911 whom she told she was a battered woman and killed him in self defense.
This is tragic for the Hernandez family and her five children, though one must wonder if they better off without her. She had attempted to get pregnant by her "husband", however she was no longer fertile at that time. This would have caused financial stress since her oldest children were no longer eligible for child support.
After great deliberation the jury found her guilty of murder and rejected her claims of abuse. She was subsequently sentenced to 45 years in prison.
You can write to her at:
Kathryn Preston, #02079584
Craine Unit
1401 State School Road
Gatesville, TX 76599-2999
