Suspected illegal alien Esteysi Sanchez was convicted on Friday of second-degree murder for the June 2016 brutal hit and run killing of a homeless man in Oceanside, California.
Sanchez was driving toward home just after 6:00 in the morning when her vehicle careened onto the sidewalk and struck 69-year-old Jack Ray Tenhulzen, causing his body to smash through the windshield and into the passenger seat, where he was lodged, according to Oceanside Police. The impact caused the man’s leg to detach from his body, landing on the car’s trunk.
Authorities said Sanchez drove around another mile before abandoning her vehicle. She was found at her home two blocks from the scene.
After months of delays, the trial of Sanchez got underway just over a week ago.
Sanchez was drunk when she left friends at an after-clubbing motel party, argued Deputy District Attorney Robert Bruce, who said that the friends warned her not to drive. He argued that her reckless disregard for life elevated the charge to second-degree murder, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. It took the jury about a day of deliberations to return a verdict of guilty on the count of second-degree murder. Sanchez faces 15 years to life in prison when she is sentenced at a hearing set for May 31.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) put a hold on Sanchez shortly after her arrest. An ICE statement regarding the case included that “ICE believes Ms. Sanchez is subject to removal from the U.S.”
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