Dallas Dentist Killed in Murder Plot by Ex-Girlfriend
On the evening of September 2, 2015, 35-year-old pediatric dentist Kendra Hatcher was gunned down in the parking garage of her Dallas apartment building—a crime that would soon be revealed as a calculated murder-for-hire orchestrated by her boyfriend’s jealous ex-girlfriend.
Hatcher, known for her charitable dental work abroad and her vibrant personality, was thriving both professionally and personally. She had recently started dating dermatologist Dr. Ricardo “Ricky” Paniagua, and the couple was planning a romantic getaway to Mexico. But someone from Paniagua’s past was not ready to let go.
That someone was Brenda Delgado, his former girlfriend. Though she initially appeared to be out of the picture, Delgado had been secretly tracking the couple’s relationship and grew increasingly obsessed and resentful.
On the night of the murder, surveillance footage showed a black Jeep Cherokee tailing a resident’s vehicle into Hatcher’s gated parking garage. Around 7:45 p.m., the Jeep stopped near Hatcher’s spot. A figure exited the vehicle, approached her car, and fatally shot her in the head at close range before fleeing.
Witness Hashem Saad, then a teenager, heard gunshots and saw the masked individuals speed away in the Jeep. When police arrived, they found Hatcher’s purse missing and a firearm magazine near her body. At first, the scene suggested a botched robbery—but prosecutors quickly suspected something more sinister.
The Jeep Cherokee, seen in the surveillance footage, became a key lead. Its registered owner, Jose Luis-Ortiz, came forward after seeing police bulletins and told investigators he had lent the vehicle to his friend Brenda Delgado.
Soon after, authorities arrested Crystal Cortes, the woman driving the Jeep. Cortes admitted she had been recruited by Delgado to participate in the crime. She drove the car while accomplice Kristopher Love fired the fatal shot.
In exchange for a plea deal, Cortes pleaded guilty to murder and testified against both Love and Delgado. Love was convicted of capital murder in 2018 and sentenced to death. Delgado, who briefly fled to Mexico and was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, was extradited to the U.S. and went on trial in 2019.
Prosecutors revealed that Delgado had plotted Hatcher’s murder out of envy, watching the new relationship unfold on social media. Testimony from several witnesses showed she had attempted to enlist others to kill Hatcher before ultimately recruiting Cortes and Love.
The jury took just 18 minutes to find Delgado guilty of capital murder. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kendra Hatcher’s death devastated her family and friends. Her brother, Neil Hatcher, described her as someone “on a different level when it came to being awesome.” She had dedicated her life to helping others—only to be taken in a senseless act of jealousy and rage.
