Naman Shrestha
NBC’s ‘Dateline: 10 Minutes to Sunset’ and Investigation Discovery’s ‘Mean Girl Murders: Hot Yoga & Cold Blood’ primarily focus on the tragic shooting death of Kendra Hatcher, a 35-year-old pediatric dentist who had a lot to look forward to. When the news of her passing broke out, the entire community was shocked to its core. However, her boyfriend, Ricardo “Ricky” Paniagua, was one of the people who was deeply affected as he had imagined a future with her. Much to his shock, his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Delgado, turned out to be the mastermind behind the murder.
Ricky Paniagua’s Future Was Destroyed by Someone From His Past
Born and raised in rural Northern California, Ricardo “Ricky” Paniagua was married to Brenda Delgado before he ever met Kendra Hatcher and weaved plans for the future. While in the process of divorcing his wife, he relocated to Texas for his residency around 2012. There, he met Brenda through a dating app in August. They attended a Jennifer Lopez concert at the American Airlines Center for their first date. Within a few months of the relationship, she moved in with him at his place. In the span of the following two and a half years, Ricky even gave her a promise ring. During their relationship, Brenda reportedly became pregnant with his child, but they mutually decided to have an abortion.
In February 2015, Ricky believed that it was time to move on, so he broke up with Brenda, but maintained a platonic friendship with her, unaware of the fact that it would come back to haunt him and his future lover. A few months later, he found a romantic connection with a pediatric dentist named Kendra Hatcher through an online dating website. He was head over heels in love with her, so much so that within a few months, the couple thought about their marriage and even started a wedding fund. When he informed his ex-girlfriend, Brenda, of the same, she did not take the news well. With a trip to Cancún approaching, Ricky and Kendra were looking forward to spending the long weekend together.
Unfortunately, on September 2, 2015, while Ricky was waiting for his future wife to return to her apartment in Dallas, Texas, from work, she was ambushed and shot to death in the parking garage of the apartment building. When he found out about the tragedy, he was devastated. Over the next few months, the police arrested and charged three individuals linked to the murder of Kendra Hatcher, including Brenda Delgado and her two accomplices, Crystal Cortes and Kristopher Love. Ricky testified against Brenda in her trial in June 2019. He told the jury how she used to stalk him, stating, “About every 7 to 10 days, I would pass her running on the Katy Trail. At the time, I thought it was just a coincidence.” Despite the defense’s attempts to convince the jury otherwise, she was sentenced to life in prison.
Ricky Paniagua Has Over 15 Years of Experience as a Dermatologist
Since testifying at the court against Brenda Delgado, Ricky has preferred to stay out of the limelight as he focuses on rebuilding his life after the loss of Kendra Hatcher. Although details about his personal life are limited, his professional career is inspiring. The California native and the Stanford Medical School graduate completed an internship at the University of Massachusetts. He then moved to Dallas, Texas, to finish his residency in dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he also worked as an assistant clinical professor of dermatology for a short while.
After a short stint there, he relocated to California after the tragedy and served as the assistant clinic professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. With expertise in treating several specific skin diseases, like morphea, vasculitis, goodpasture syndrome, and scleroderma, Ricky is currently an employee at the Roseville Medical Center with Kaiser Permanente. By working in the Sacramento Valley, he is able to stay close to his family. He had several reasons to choose to work with Kaiser, “including a phenomenal group of compassionate, intelligent, and hard-working colleagues who are on the cutting edge of patient care.” With an aim to provide kind and empathetic care to his patients, the dermatologist is fully focused on his career. Meanwhile, he seemingly keeps Kendra’s memories alive even today.
Read More: Kendra Hatcher Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
