EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 29-year-old Las Cruces man accused of killing his mother and fleeing the state has been found guilty of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, the State of New Mexico Office of the Third Judicial District Attorney said on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Dillon Alexander Waller, 29, was found guilty by a Las Cruces jury and will be facing life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, the Third Judicial DA said. The tampering with evidence charge carries an additional three years. Las Cruces man accused of killing mom, fleeing state As KTSM has previously reported, on Nov. 21, 2022, Las Cruces Police were called to do a welfare check on Cynthia Berendzen, who according to neighbors had not been seen in a few weeks. Officers entered the home and smelled odor of bleach and cleaning agents and when officers entered the master bedroom, they found the bathroom door locked, according to the Third Judicial DA. The Third Judicial DA said once officers breached the bathroom door, they found Berendzen was in the advanced stages of decomposition. Officers further investigated the home and found the refrigerator empty and all the silverware, cooking utensils, plates, pots, and pans removed. According to neighbors, Berendzen's son, Waller, drove away from the home in her vehicle with Berendzen's four dogs on or about Nov. 14, 2022. According to the Third Judicial DA, Berendzen's vehicle, along with the dogs, was found abandoned near the U.S. border in San Diego, California. The dogs were found in good condition. They were microchipped and scanned where Berendzen's information was found. On Nov. 17, 2022, Berendzen was reported as a missing person, the Third Judicial DA said. Waller was arrested for an outstanding warrant in Las Cruces on April 1, 2023. Upon Waller's arrest, he allegedly possessed 7.3 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, according to federal court documents. When he was interviewed by investigators regarding his mother's death, Waller said he knew nothing about his mother's death and "changed his story twice; that his mother died unexpectedly, then that he had strangled her while she was sleeping," according to the Third Judicial DA. Waller told officers that he and a friend moved Berendzen's body into the shower, cleaned up, removed all evidence, and took Berendzen's bank card, the Third Judicial DA said. Authorities were never able to substantiate whether the friend was an actual person. Waller abandoned Berendzen's dogs and her car and crossed the border into Tijuana, Mexico to meet up with the accomplice, but according to Waller, she never showed up. According to the Third Judicial DA, Waller crossed back into the U.S. to find Berendzen's vehicle gone. He returned to Las Cruces when he was identified and arrested.