Tulare County Death Penalty Conviction Upheld by California Supreme Court
In a decision released on April 29, 2019, the California Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentence of Juan Sanchez, age 54, for the 1997 first-degree murders of Ermanda Reyes and Lorena Martinez.
In the early morning of August 4, 1997, Sanchez entered the Porterville home of Reyes and her 17-year-old daughter, Lorena. Sanchez proceeded to sexually assault Lorena, then shot and killed both mother and daughter. Sanchez was convicted of their murders along with special circumstances of multiple murder and rape with a foreign object in 2004, and was sentenced to death. The case was prosecuted by current Assistant District Attorney David Alavezos.
Sanchez’s primary arguments on appeal were that the youngest surviving son of Ermanda Reyes, who identified Sanchez as the person in the room when his mother attempted to call 911 immediately after being shot, should not have been allowed to testify since he was eight-years-old at the time of the trial; and, that Sanchez’s confession to the murders should not have been heard by the jury.
The California Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Sanchez’s confession and found that the testimony of Ermanda’s youngest son was legally admissible regardless of his age since he was able to distinguish between the truth and a lie and remembered that he told officers the truth on the morning his mother and sister were murdered.
“There is a reason why Californians support the death penalty, and that reason is Juan Sanchez,” said District Attorney Tim Ward. “Governor Newsom isn’t the only one protecting this killer; the broken death penalty process has done that for years. This defendant filed 38 requests to extend the time for filing his appeal and delayed this case for well over a decade. There must be truth in sentencing – victims are at least owed that.”
Sanchez may continue his appeal by filing a writ of habeas corpus. The complete decision is attached to this press release and can be viewed by scrolling down.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Assistant District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494