Librada Apodaca, 72, of El Paso, Texas, was murdered with an ax on May 27, 1983. Her killing became tied to Henry Lee Lucas after he confessed to the crime and to sexually assaulting her corpse during a widely publicized confession spree; he later recanted that and many other confessions. A judge later ruled Lucas’s confession inadmissible and charges against him were dropped in 1986.

Physical evidence from Apodaca’s clothing — blood and semen — did not match Lucas but matched a gardener from Juarez named Geovany Valenzuela Chavez, who had worked for her days before the murder. Chavez gave a confession that he later recanted, alleging he had been tortured by Juarez police; he was later found murdered in Juarez. Apodaca’s nephew, who had a criminal record and a history of drug addiction, had visited her the day she was killed and was also considered a suspect. The ax was hidden behind a dryer, a detail defense attorneys said pointed to someone familiar with the house.

The prosecution’s case collapsed, the county spent nearly $500,000 on the matter, and defenders accused prosecutors of suppressing evidence and urged a grand jury; no new charges were filed. The homicide remains officially unsolved. Does anyone have information about Librada Apodaca, her household, or people who worked for her in 1983?