On Wednesday, a Cleveland County jury found Desiree Sanchez guilty of first-degree murder and unlawful removal of a dead body.
In May 2021, Desiree and her husband Octavio Sanchez were charged with first-degree murder and unlawful removal of a dead body after Norman police officers found Margarita Sandoval’s body at 715 W. Lindsey St.
According to the affidavit, officers searched Miguel Munoz’s home after receiving a call from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office in California.
The police interviewed Munoz who confessed to helping Octavio and Desiree move Sandoval’s body from 1224 Westlawn Drive to his basement in June 2019. Munoz was charged with accessory to murder in the first degree.
Sandoval had the cognitive abilities of a child, according to investigators, and grew up in a group home in California. Sandoval moved to Oklahoma with her sister in 2016 before she began living with her brother Octavio and Desiree in 2018.
Desiree took over as payee for Sandoval’s Social Security disability checks and continued receiving money from the checks until the police discovered Sandoval’s body, according to the affidavit.
In June, Desiree was sentenced to 36 months and Octavio 48 months in federal prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Octavio has been in federal custody since July 2021 for an unrelated federal firearms conviction.
According to FOX 25, the jury recommended life in prison for Desiree and a $10,000 fine for murder in the first degree. It also recommended five years and a $5,000 fine for unlawful removal of a dead body.
Desiree will have her formal sentencing hearing in early 2024, FOX 25 reported.
This story was edited by Taylor Jones. Mary Ann Livingood and Avery Avery copy edited this story.
