A New Mexico judge has postponed the trial of a couple accused of sexually and physically abusing their children, giving defense attorneys additional time to respond to the state’s proposed expert witnesses.
A New Mexico judge has postponed the trial of Melvin and Valerie Cordell, who face charges of sexually and physically abusing their eight children over a decade, to allow defense attorneys more time to respond to the state’s proposed expert witnesses. No new trial date has been set.
The couple allegedly forced their children to live in underground tunnels and makeshift shelters amid unsanitary conditions on their Deming property, withholding food and permitting sexual abuse. The investigation began after their 16-year-old reported the abuse in 2024. The Cordells, arrested in 2025, have pleaded not guilty and were recently released from custody, with parental rights terminated and contact with the children prohibited.
Melvin and Valerie Cordell were scheduled to stand trial Wednesday over allegations that they forced their children, ranging in age from 6 months to 16 years, to live in artificial tunnels outside their property in Deming from 2014 to 2024.
The couple also faces allegations that they made their children perform sexual acts.
The trial was vacated following a hearing last week on whether prosecutors had disclosed the names of their expert witnesses within the required timeframe, according to the district attorney’s office.
The court decided to delay the proceedings to allow the defense to respond to the state’s proposed experts. A new trial date has not been announced.
Core allegations
The couple faces numerous felony charges over allegations that they subjected their eight children to prolonged physical and sexual abuse between 2014 and 2024.
According to criminal complaints and court documents, the couple allegedly forced the children to live outdoors year-round on a 35-acre property that investigators described as resembling a landfill. The children reportedly slept in manmade underground tunnels or caves, typically 4 to 6 feet deep, as well as in broken-down vehicles and other makeshift shelters surrounded by piles of garbage, buckets of human feces, rotting food, soiled clothing, and other hazards.
Prosecutors further allege that the children were often left unbathed and forced to live in filthy conditions, and that food was sometimes withheld for up to two days as punishment.
The sexual abuse allegations include claims that the parents forced the children to perform sexual acts, sometimes in the presence of other adults. Court records specifically accuse Melvin Cordell of sexually assaulting the oldest daughter over several years, resulting in two pregnancies, and of performing nonconsensual at-home abortion procedures before disposing of the remains.
Additional claims allege that other adults were permitted to abuse the children. The investigation began in October 2024 after the 16-year-old daughter reported the abuse while attending a youth program. The children were placed in the custody of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.
The Cordells were arrested in February 2025 and have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include multiple counts of child abuse, criminal sexual penetration, and related offenses.
Judge orders couple’s release.
Earlier this week, District Judge Jennifer Delaney ordered the Cordells released from custody, noting that their parental rights had been terminated and the children were in foster care.
The judge prohibited the couple from contacting the children.
The release order does not resolve the criminal charges against the Cordells, and the allegations remain subject to trial.
