Breckenridge Texan

Last week, in Stephens County’s 90th Judicial District courtroom, attorneys David Wimberley of Breckenridge and Kerwin Stephens of Graham obtained a verdict and judgment in the amount of $143 million against Deana Renee Thetford for the wrongful death and murder of Craig Thetford.

“This verdict represents a significant step toward justice for the Estate and family of Craig Thetford,” Wimberley said in a Facebook post. “While no monetary award can ever replace the life that was taken, this judgment serves as a powerful acknowledgment of the devastating loss suffered by Craig’s loved ones and holds the responsible party accountable through the civil justice system.”

Craig Thetford

Earlier this month, Ryan Suggs, district attorney for New Mexico’s 12th Judicial District, announced that on June 2, Deana Thetford was sentenced to 18 years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections following her guilty plea to Second-Degree Murder, Tampering with Evidence, and Forgery in connection with the death of her husband, Craig Thetford. According to a Court TV report, which cited the plea agreement, Judge Stephen Ochoa sentenced her to 18 months for the forgery and three years for the tampering with evidence charges, to be served concurrently, followed by a sentence of 15 years in prison then three years of probation for the murder charge.

“The family has expressed that they did not feel justice was fully achieved through the criminal proceedings, which resulted in an 18-year sentence for Ms. Thetford. Today’s verdict provides a measure of accountability and closure that the family has long sought,” Wimberley said in his June 11 statement.

Craig Thetford, was living in New Mexico at the time of his death but had been a long-time Breckenridge resident, owning and operating Craig’s Roofing. For several weeks last year, the community of Breckenridge shared the “missing” posters requesting information about Craig, as his family searched for him.

According to a news release by Suggs’ office, Craig Thetford, a resident of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, was last seen in January 2025. After months without contact, family members reported him missing in May 2025. The Otero County Sheriff’s Office initiated a welfare check at the couple’s residence in Cloudcroft but found no sign of him.

During the investigation, Deana Thetford provided multiple conflicting explanations regarding her husband’s whereabouts, the news release said. She initially claimed that Craig had left for Mexico with another woman, later stating he was conducting firefighter training in Albuquerque, caring for his mother in Texas, and eventually working in Texas. Investigators determined that those claims were inconsistent with the available evidence.

In May 2025, investigators received an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip alleging that Deana Thetford had shot and killed her husband following an altercation inside their Cloudcroft home. That information prompted an investigation involving search warrants, forensic analysis, financial records, cellular phone records, credit card records, GPS data and interviews conducted across multiple states.

His body was discovered on June 17, 2025, in the carport of the couple’s house.

The investigation revealed that during the first week of January 2025, Deana Thetford shot and killed Craig Thetford inside their residence. Evidence established that Craig Thetford suffered at least three gunshot wounds.

Investigators further discovered that Deana Thetford spent more than five months concealing the crime. According to the news release, evidence showed that she cleaned the crime scene, repaired damage caused by the shooting, concealed Craig Thetford’s remains in plastic and a rug, covered the remains with lime and stored them in the residence’s carport. During the welfare check conducted by law enforcement, prior to the anonymous tip, Deana Thetford had been operating on a backhoe near the carport and claimed she was preparing an above-ground garden. Next to the carport was a recently dug hole approximately 6-7 feet in length and 2-3 feet deep.

The investigation also revealed a prolonged effort to deceive family members and law enforcement, Suggs’ statement said. Deana Thetford sent fabricated text messages and Facebook messages while impersonating Craig Thetford, forged records using his signature, and repeatedly provided false information regarding his whereabouts.

The case was investigated by the 12th Judicial District Major Crimes Unit with assistance from the New Mexico State Police Crime Scene Team and the Texas Rangers. Investigators executed numerous search warrants in New Mexico and Texas and analyzed extensive amounts of physical, digital, financial, and location-based evidence. Through investigative work, law enforcement was able to reconstruct a detailed timeline spanning more than six months and track Deana Thetford’s movements across multiple states.

According to the Court TV article, “The Thetfords’ home had a security system, but deputies serving the search warrant found the system’s hardware had been removed. Two safes, which Deana had initially told detectives contained $1.5 million dollars, were found to have $84,300 in cash and several firearms. Detectives determined that in February, Deana purchased a home in Texas with a cash offer and purchased a Ford Mustang for herself.”

She had moved to Seymour, Texas, and on July 8, 2025, Deana Thetford was arrested and booked into the Wichita County, Texas, jail.

“I am extremely proud of the work done by our law enforcement partners and my office during the course of this investigation,” said Suggs, who prosecuted the case. “There was no stone left unturned in this investigation, and each and every member of the team remained fully committed to this case from beginning to end. Through their dedication and tireless efforts, we were able to bring closure and justice to the family of Craig Thetford, who spent more than five months searching for answers while being repeatedly deceived about his whereabouts.”