A Prince George’s County, Maryland, man will spend decades in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to second-degree murder in the brutal killing of his wife on New Year’s Day last year.
Lisbet Garcia, 24, was found dead, and her husband, 26-year-old Erwin Sanchez, was found covered in blood by police officers at their Brentwood home at about 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2018.
Prosecutor Melissa Hoppmeyer said in court that Sanchez told police, “I did it, I did it.”
Garcia was stabbed 73 times total. “She didn’t stand a chance,” Hoppmeyer said.
The argument started the night before, when Sanchez saw Garcia talking with another man at a New Year’s party.
“This was a tragic incident,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy. “This concludes the case, but it certainly does not conclude the pain and suffering for the family of Lisbet Garcia. We are heartbroken and continue to be heartbroken for her family.”
Garcia had three daughters, including one with Sanchez.
After the guilty plea, a lawyer for Sanchez told the judge that Sanchez had a problem with alcohol, was blackout drunk at the time of the killings and doesn’t remember everything that happened. But he didn’t deny that things happened the way prosecutors spelled it out.
The judge in the case called it “one of the most horrible ways to die.”
Under the plea deal with prosecutors, Sanchez will spend 40 years in prison, with credit for the nearly two years he’s been behind bars since the time of his arrest.
