OKLAHOMA – In a chilling case, Desiree Sanchez, a 29-year-old woman from Oklahoma, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her 19-year-old disabled sister-in-law, Maggie Sandoval. State District Court Judge Thad H. Balkman imposed the life sentence following a jury’s guilty verdict on charges of first-degree murder and unlawful removal of a body.
The jury’s decision, delivered in November, was based on evidence that Sanchez killed Sandoval and then concealed her body in a box, moving it to various locations. This act was committed to continue collecting Sandoval’s social security benefits. In addition to the life sentence for the murder charge, Sanchez received an additional five-year sentence for unlawfully removing the body.
Sanchez is concurrently serving a three-year federal prison sentence for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft related to the fraudulent collection of Sandoval’s social security benefits. Sandoval, who had the cognitive abilities of a child, was the half-sister of Sanchez’s husband, Octavio Juan Sanchez. Octavio Sanchez is currently serving a four-year federal prison sentence for stealing his sister’s benefits and awaits trial for murder and unlawful removal charges in connection to his sister’s death.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police believe Sandoval was killed between February 17 and April 18, 2018. Reports from Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR revealed that Sanchez and her husband wrapped Sandoval’s body in numerous layers of plastic, even involving one of their children in the process under the guise of wrapping a present.
This case has drawn significant attention due to its disturbing nature and the manipulation of a vulnerable individual for financial gain.
