Inset: Marcus Sanchez in court (WTVJ). Background: The home Sanchez set on fire with his dead wife inside (WTVJ).
A 44-year-old man in Florida will spend the rest of his days in prison for fatally shooting his wife and living with her decomposing body in their apartment for days before setting the home on fire.
Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Christine Hernandez on Wednesday ordered Marcus Aron Sanchez to serve life in a state correctional facility for the 2024 slaying of Jenny Miguel, court records show. Hernandez handed down the sentence after Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count each of murder and arson.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Miami firefighters responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of SW 13th Street shortly before 2 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2024, regarding a dwelling fire. Upon arriving, first responders discovered a woman's burned body inside the residence.
Around the same time, Sanchez — who had suffered severe burns "all over his body" — was being treated at a nearby hospital after driving himself there and telling the authorities that he had killed someone.
Sanchez told a Coral Gables police officer that he had gotten into an argument with Miguel, whom he identified as his wife.
"Sanchez told him that he got into an argument with [Miguel] because she told him that she had killed his children," the affidavit states. "Sanchez states that he shot the female 1 time in the head and 1 time in the heart."
Sanchez also explained his own burns, saying that he poured gasoline throughout the home and set it on fire while he was still inside. He added that Miguel "was dead," describing her body as being "bloated."
A nurse at the hospital later told investigators that when Sanchez first came in, he was screaming for help.
"She pushed me to the edge," he said. "[Miguel] told me she killed my kids. I lost it. I got a gun and shot her 3 days ago. The body was rotting, and I didn't know what to do with the body."
Sanchez further stated that he was not suicidal and had burned himself by mistake.
Surveillance footage from a Chevron gas station showed Sanchez arriving at 12:46 a.m. on Aug. 18, purchasing a red 5-gallon fuel can with cash, and filling it with gasoline before driving away.
At his sentencing hearing, Sanchez apologized to Miguel's family, telling the court he became paranoid while using drugs and started hearing voices, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported. He said he grabbed his gun and shot Miguel twice before eventually deciding to burn everything down.
Miguel worked as a payroll clerk for the Miami Police Department for more than 15 years before her death. The courtroom for Sanchez's sentencing was filled with Miguel's family as well as police officers who had worked with Miguel and wanted to honor their former colleague, the station reported.
Miguel's daughter read a victim impact statement in which she addressed Sanchez directly.
"I want you to die," she reportedly told him. "I will never forgive you."
While Sanchez sought a 25-year sentence, Hernandez reportedly said that life in prison was demanded by the facts of the case.