Inset: Sanden James George (Houston police). Background: The area near Barbarella's club in Houston, Texas, where George killed a 41-year-old woman with his car (Google Maps).
A Texas man will spend more than four decades behind bars after he plowed into a nightclub manager with his car while he was trying to hit his wife.
Sanden James George, 37, was sentenced to 45 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder in the death of 41-year-old Cindy Reyes. George and his wife were in downtown Houston on Aug. 18, 2024, to celebrate her birthday, a probable cause arrest affidavit said. George drank a bottle of Hennessy and had at least three more Hennessy drinks while at Playground, a bar and club located in Houston's midtown area.
George and his wife got into an argument and she left the club. He followed her on foot and began assaulting her. Reyes, a manager at the nearby Barbarella's club, and three of her co-workers witnessed the assault and tried to intervene. The employees restrained George but he got free and ran to his car.
After getting behind the wheel, George sped toward where his wife was standing. He nearly struck three bystanders with his car, one of whom tried to shoot at George. He made a U-turn and set his sights on his wife. George barreled toward her but she was able to take cover between two cars. Instead, he slammed into Reyes, flinging her across the street.
Authorities pronounced Reyes dead at the scene. She died from blunt force trauma.
Cops later arrested George. He admitted to drinking before arriving at the club and while he was there. George, who has a long criminal history of assault and drug-related offenses, has been in the Harris County Jail since his arrest.
Prosecutors at George's first appearance in 2024 spoke of the impact Reyes' death had on her family and friends.
"They're very distraught," prosecutor Rodrigo Escobar told the Houston Chronicle. "They're going to have to bury a friend, a daughter, a loved one, so they're going through a lot right now."
Comments