Verdicts in for Rialto man in death of man found with estranged wife
A Rialto man was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter today in the deadly stabbing of a man the defendant encountered with his estranged wife last year.
The jury found Joe Anthony Sanchez not guilty of murder charges in the August 2007 death of 28-year-old Jose Alonso Madrigal and not guilty of charges related to his then-estranged wife and key prosecution witness, Charity Sanchez, during proceedings in San Bernardino Superior Court.
"That tells me they didn't believe her," Deputy Public Defender Jeffrey Lawrence said of Charity Sanchez's testimony, afterward in a courthouse hallway.
The jury's findings are indicate it believed Joe Sanchez's actions amounted to an "imperfect self-defense," meaning he crossed the line in using self defense, Lawrence explained.
Prosecutors had charged Sanchez, 29, with Madrigal's death and the attempted murder of his wife, after he reportedly encountered the pair inside the married couple's San Bernardino home during an early morning visit.
Charity Sanchez had allowed Joe Sanchez into the home to use the bathroom. However, he detoured to a darkened bedroom and found Madrigal, according to earlier court testimony.
Charity Sanchez, who was reportedly married to Joe Sanchez for seven years, told police she had a romantic relationship with Madrigal, according to testimony from detectives. Police had dubbed the slaying a "crime of passion."
The case gained regional attention when an Amber Alert was issued for Joe Sanchez, when Charity Sanchez reported that he had taken the couple's four children. He was found on the 10 Freeway, in Upland, in a blue Kia minivan with the children - all under age 10 - in the backseat.
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