Sandra Cantu homicide
Encyclopedia
The Sandra Cantu homicide
occurred on or about March 27, 2009, in Tracy
, California
. Sandra Cantu (8 years old) was reported missing on March 27, 2009, wearing a pink Hello Kitty
t-shirt and black leggings. After several days, investigators began losing hope until on April 6, a man named Jose Luis Franco, while working at a dairy farm, found a suitcase in a pond containing the body of Sandra Cantu. Two days later, on April 9 investigators also found a note "From Sandra, to my killer" on a tree in the trailer park where she lived.
suitcase that contained the body of Cantu belonged to Huckaby, who reported to have left it in her driveway on the day Cantu went missing. Police did not at the time provide details as to why Huckaby was arrested, hours after a story written by 22-year-old reporter Jennifer Wadsworth was published in the Tracy Press in which Huckaby claimed ownership of the suitcase. She was placed under arrest after interrogation on April 10. Reports after her arrest indicated that in the days prior, Huckaby attempted suicide by swallowing knife blades; Huckaby reportedly denied this.
It has been reported that police in Tracy believe she murdered Cantu in the church where she worked as a Sunday school teacher for five children, and where her grandfather served as a minister. According to the pathologist's report, Sandra had been strangled with a torn piece of cloth that had been knotted into "a noose." The cause of death was determined to be "homicidal asphyxiation." Some of Sandra's injuries were also consistent with a rolling pin with a bent handle and bloody smudge found inside the church. The pathology report revealed that the smudge on the rolling pin matched Sandra's blood. The report also showed she was sexually assaulted with the object.
Huckaby was indicted by a grand jury on charges of kidnapping, murder, and rape in the death of Cantu. The prosecution subsequently announced that the death penalty would be sought at trial. However, Huckaby pled guilty to the murder on May 10, 2010, sparing her from a possible death sentence. All other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal. On June 14, 2010 Huckaby was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the crime.
Sunday School teacher who pleaded guilty to the murder of Sandra Cantu. Born in Orange County, California
, Huckaby is the granddaughter of Pastor Clifford Lawless of Clover Road Baptist Church, in Tracy, California. Before her arrest, Huckaby lived at the same mobile home park as Cantu, and she is the mother of a 5-year-old daughter, a close friend with whom Cantu played.
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
occurred on or about March 27, 2009, in Tracy
Tracy, California
Tracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States and an exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Sandra Cantu (8 years old) was reported missing on March 27, 2009, wearing a pink Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
t-shirt and black leggings. After several days, investigators began losing hope until on April 6, a man named Jose Luis Franco, while working at a dairy farm, found a suitcase in a pond containing the body of Sandra Cantu. Two days later, on April 9 investigators also found a note "From Sandra, to my killer" on a tree in the trailer park where she lived.
Murder
On April 10, 2009, police arrested 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby and charged her with the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Cantu. The black Eddie BauerEddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. is a holding company that operates the Eddie Bauer clothing store chain, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, United States. EBH was formed after Eddie Bauer's former parent company, Spiegel, Inc., went bankrupt in 2003...
suitcase that contained the body of Cantu belonged to Huckaby, who reported to have left it in her driveway on the day Cantu went missing. Police did not at the time provide details as to why Huckaby was arrested, hours after a story written by 22-year-old reporter Jennifer Wadsworth was published in the Tracy Press in which Huckaby claimed ownership of the suitcase. She was placed under arrest after interrogation on April 10. Reports after her arrest indicated that in the days prior, Huckaby attempted suicide by swallowing knife blades; Huckaby reportedly denied this.
It has been reported that police in Tracy believe she murdered Cantu in the church where she worked as a Sunday school teacher for five children, and where her grandfather served as a minister. According to the pathologist's report, Sandra had been strangled with a torn piece of cloth that had been knotted into "a noose." The cause of death was determined to be "homicidal asphyxiation." Some of Sandra's injuries were also consistent with a rolling pin with a bent handle and bloody smudge found inside the church. The pathology report revealed that the smudge on the rolling pin matched Sandra's blood. The report also showed she was sexually assaulted with the object.
Huckaby was indicted by a grand jury on charges of kidnapping, murder, and rape in the death of Cantu. The prosecution subsequently announced that the death penalty would be sought at trial. However, Huckaby pled guilty to the murder on May 10, 2010, sparing her from a possible death sentence. All other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal. On June 14, 2010 Huckaby was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the crime.
Melissa Huckaby
Melissa Huckaby (born February 23, 1981) is the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Sunday School teacher who pleaded guilty to the murder of Sandra Cantu. Born in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, Huckaby is the granddaughter of Pastor Clifford Lawless of Clover Road Baptist Church, in Tracy, California. Before her arrest, Huckaby lived at the same mobile home park as Cantu, and she is the mother of a 5-year-old daughter, a close friend with whom Cantu played.
External links
- Obituary by the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
on Legacy.comLegacy.comLegacy.com was founded in 1998 and is the world's largest commercial provider of online memorials. The Web site hosts obituaries and memorials for more than 70 percent of all U.S. deaths. Legacy.com hosts obituaries for more than three-quarters of the 100 largest newspapers in the U.S., by...
retrieved April 7, 2009.