Leonardo Pimental Sanchez, original booking photo from the 1990’s
ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE
Case # 00SF0657
Date: March 23, 2017
FORMER FUGITIVE CONVICTED OF 1992 COLD CASE MURDER OF 19-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
*Defendant fled to Mexico and was extradited 10 years later
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man who was extradited to Orange County from Mexico was convicted yesterday of murdering a 19-year-old woman in 1992. Leonardo Pimentel Sanchez, 59, Mexico City, Mexico, was found guilty by a jury on March 22, 2017, of one felony count of first degree murder. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. He also faces sentencing enhancements for two prior felony convictions for a 1978 robbery and a 1984 rape and digital penetration in Orange County. The defendant was arrested in Mexico in November 2012, and extradited to Orange County July 23, 2013, following extradition proceedings. A sentencing date has yet to be determined.
