Erika Sandoval Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Murder of Daniel Green
Today in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, the court sentenced Erika Sandoval, age 38, of Visalia, to 50 years to life in prison for the premeditated first-degree murder of her ex-husband, former Exeter police officer Daniel Green.
Sandoval’s first trial in 2019 ended in a hung jury. Her second trial began on February 6, 2025, 10 years to the day of when the crime was committed.
At trial, evidence established that on February 6, 2015, Sandoval snuck into Green’s Goshen home. While in the home, Sandoval disarmed Green’s firearms except for a handgun, which she used to ambush him in the bathroom after having hid in a closet. While Green was seated on the toilet, Sandoval shot him in the chest and forehead. Green fell into the adjacent bathtub, where Sandoval shot him again, striking him in the neck. She then attempted to stage a robbery by taking various items, which she dumped at locations along northbound Highway 99, including the murder weapon.
At the time of the crime, Sandoval and Green had not lived together in the same home for over a year and a half. In recorded conversations with family and detectives that were entered into evidence, Sandoval did not want to share custody of her and Green’s son. Testimony also established Sandoval’s history of romantic jealousy, including slashing the tires of a former boyfriend, continually searching Green’s phone, and taking a screenshot of a photo of Green and his new girlfriend just the day before the murder, along with possessing a sticky note of the woman’s name which was found in Sandoval’s purse after it was seized during her arrest.
The case also highlighted a long pattern of physical abuse by Sandoval. In one instance, Sandoval admitted to “cutting wires” on Green’s motorcycle. Testimony was presented by a witness who was with Green when his motorcycle went through a red light and saw that the break lines had been cut. To avoid being falsely accused of domestic violence, Green recorded multiple videos and audio files of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of Sandoval, including one occasion while he was holding his son.
Sandoval’s trial took place over three months. On May 8, 2025, Tulare County jurors found her guilty of pre-meditated first-degree murder with the special allegations that she personally and intentionally used a firearm. Jurors did not find true the special circumstance that Sandoval lied in wait, thus making her ineligible for a potential death sentence.
According to California sentencing laws passed under Assembly Bill 3234 (2021), Sandoval may be eligible for an elder parole hearing when she reaches the age of 50 and has served 20 years of continuous incarceration for the committed crime.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Chief Deputy District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494