A Wylie woman, Alicia Calderon, 37, was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the sadistic torture of another woman, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Indicted in August 2022, Calderon was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a household member, a first-degree felony, on Sept. 27 and sentenced on Sept. 28.

According to the district’s attorney’s office, the 24-year-old victim moved in to a Wylie trailer with Calderon, her 39-year-old husband, Joseph Calderon, and their four children in 2019. In exchange for a free place to live, the victim agreed to keep the trailer clean and care for Calderon’s children and a disabled 77-year-old woman, who turned out to be a second victim.

The abuse began months later, the DA’s office said. Calderon first took away the victim’s phone then restricted her food and movements. Calderon also locked the victim in a room with the second victim, whose condition severely declined until she lost the ability to speak and walk. The victim lost over half of her body weight and could no longer care for the second victim.

In July 2021, according to the DA’s office, Calderon locked the victim in a dog crate and poured boiling water on her, injuring her legs, after she was caught taking food. During an argument later that year, Calderon poured a pot of boiling water on the victim, causing severe burns on her arms, chest and back—and denied her medical treatment.

A male member of the household let the victim borrow his phone on Feb. 1, 2022, the DA’s office said. She used it to message her stepfather on Facebook and ask for help. The victim’s stepfather, who hadn’t heard from her in two years, called 911 and went to the trailer.

On Feb 2, 2022, Collin County Sheriff’s Office deputies removed stacked stones from the door of a small room built on the backside of a single wide trailer to rescue the victim, who was down to 68 pounds.

According to the probable cause affidavit from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the room had “an extremely foul odor” and the victim had fresh cuts on her face. The victim said she “was beaten with kitchen utensils” and had scabs and burns on her legs, back, chest and sides.

The victim’s second- and third-degree burns were so severe that a procedure was required in order to remove her clothing, she had multiple surgeries and spent six weeks in the hospital. She also suffered nerve damage that did not heal.

The second victim’s condition had declined so much that deputies initially thought she was deceased. The affidavit states that she was “extremely disheveled” with long, dirty fingernails and toenails and she screamed when medical staff moved her from a stretcher to a bed due to bedsores.

On Feb. 9, 2022, per the affidavit, the victim said Alicia Calderon would place her in a wig and give her a list of items to steal from Walmart. An investigation revealed that in December 2021 the victim was caught eating a granola bar from the shelf at the Walmart in Wylie and tried to leave the store with several items in her basket. She was arrested for theft but did not tell police what was happening to her for fear of retaliation.

According to the affidavit, the victim said she suffered serious injury to her forearms when Calderon again poured boiling water on her in a bathtub after she was caught stealing at Walmart. The victim said Calderon had placed her in the dog kennel for more than 24 hours on a few different occasions and knocked her unconscious multiple times. The victim also stated that Calderon’s children hit her with kitchen utensils and repeatedly punched her in the face with boxing gloves.

The affidavit says the victim had chipped teeth and a chunk of flesh missing from her left ear. She also had a cut on her chin and said Calderon “did that with a kitchen knife.”

At the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Calderon spent $78,000 of the second victim’s inheritance and had been cashing her Social Security checks for years. Investigator Joshua Duncan testified that the money was spent on tattoos, parties and tire rims.

Joseph Calderon has been charged with injury to an elderly person by omission and financial exploitation of an elderly person.

By Jeremy Hallock, [email protected]