KATHERINE SANCHEZ - 15 yo - Albion NY

Questions remain surrounding the death of an Albion teenager.
15-year-old Katherine Sanchez was murdered and her brother-in-law is is
the suspect. Carlos Cardenas is charged with murder. Police say Cardenas
sexually assaulted Sanchez, strangled her and then buried her in a
shallow grave at an apple orchard near Albion.
The biological father

Today, we spoke with Sanchez's biological father who says he didn't even know she was missing.
The first time Ricardo Sanchez heard his daughter was missing was
last week -- just days before Katherine Sanchez's body was found.
Richardo Sanchez lives in North Dakota and did not have a particularly
close relationship with his daughter. (He did not have legal custody).
But he says he still should have been told. Sanchez does not speak English, so his thoughts are translated by his fiance.
"He's upset because they didn't call him right away," Joann Contreras said. "Why did they wait so long?"
"So he had no idea that his daughter was missing?" I asked.
"nope," she said.
The last time Katherine Sanchez saw her father -- she was three. He
wasn't told his daughter was missing for nearly a month. The police came
to his door with worse news Friday night.
"They put their head down and told ricardo 'We got back news,'" Contreras said. "They said they found her dead."
The crime
Albion Police say Carlos Cardenas sexually assaulted his
sister-in-law and then strangled her inside his home in Albion. Police
say he left the body in the basement for several days then buried
Katherine in an apple orchard west of Albion. Police say Cardenas used
to work at the orchard. Kimberly Cardenas is Carlos' wife and
Katherine's sister.
"I didn't think he was capable of doing that," she said. "He's sick! He's sick in his mind!"
Kimberly and her family didn't report Katherine missing for a week and she blames her husband for that.
"The whole week she was gone he's like 'She's probably with family.
She's probably with a boyfriend. She probably ran away,' and being there
for me and just acting normal," Kimberly said.
The principal
Monday at Albion High School, counselors were there for Katherine's
friends and that includes her principal. She got the terrible phone call
Saturday.
"Shock because you want to believe that the worst thing that could
happen hasn't happened," Principal Leslie Strass said. "So it was a
shock."
Strass said Katherine played sports and was involved in student government. She loved school so much she wanted to be a teacher.
Cardenas is in jail with no bail. He's back in court Thursday. He's
considered an illegal immigrant. In fact, he was first arrested by the
Border Patrol and Katherine's body was discovered shortly after that.
The medical examiner lists the cause of death as asphyxiation.

For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.

Bail was set at $1 million today for an illegal immigrant charged
with raping and killing his 15-year-old sister-in-law Jan. 15 in the
bathroom of his home on East State Street.Orleans County Judge
James P. Punch set the high bail for Carlos A. Cardenas, 21,
"considering the profound seriousness of these charges and the
questionable citizenship status of the defendant."Through an
interpreter, Cardenas, a Mexican national, pleaded not guilty to a grand
jury indictment charging him with two counts of second-degree murder --
intentional killing and causing a death in the course of committing
another felony -- along with first- and third-degree rape.District
Attorney Joseph V. Cardone said Cardenas risks deportation if he is
convicted, although he would have to serve his prison sentence first.
Cardone said he will prosecute the case personally and expects a trial
in late summer or early fall.Punch ordered Cardone and Public
Defender Sanford L. Church to return to court May 9 to report on plea
negotiations, if any. Another date was set for June 6 to discuss the
sharing of evidence and to schedule any pretrial hearings.The
body of Katherine Sanchez was found in a Ridgeway apple orchard Feb. 18.
Cardenas told police that he accidentally strangled the girl after they
had sex and she threatened to tell Cardenas' wife. He told police he
stashed the body in the basement before burying it.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article386185.ece

September 6, 2011
Defense questions confession tactics in Cardenas case
By Holly Toal
The Journal-Register

ALBION —

Pre-trial hearings in the Carlos Cardenas murder case concluded Thursday with cross-examination of the investigator who transcribed Cardenas’ confession.
Senior Investigator Gary Colon of the New York State Police, Batavia headquarters was again called to the stand in Orleans County Court before Judge James Punch to answer questions regarding an alleged confession made by the suspect in February. Cardenas was arrested Feb. 16 and charged with the rape and murder of his 14-year-old sister-in-law, Katherine Sanchez, which took place Jan. 14.
During Thursday’s hearing, Colon told Public Defender Sanford Church that he was asked to respond to the Albion Police Department in January for a missing person case. He said there, he learned background information on Cardenas; that he was married, lived on State Street in Albion, that the missing person was his sister-in-law, that he and his wife had two children in the house (one of which was biologically his) and that he was incarcerated on immigration charges stemming from a DWI arrest.
Colon said that before his first interview with Cardenas, he talked with his wife, Kimberly, at her mother’s house.
“We talked a little bit about her sister, Katie; when was the last time she saw her,” he said.
Colon then went to the Genesee County Jail to interview Cardenas. He said he told Cardenas he was there to ask him about his sister-in-law, if he knew her whereabouts, and when the last time was that he saw her.
He also asked Cardenas about his background.
According to records, Cardenas came to the U.S. with his father when he was about 14 years old and lived in Holley, where he went to school. He later moved down to Florida, then Georgia, before returning to the Holley area. He completed his senior year in high school but did not graduate because he couldn’t pass the English Regents exam. He also never received his GED.
Cardenas’ father still lives in the Holley area, and his mother remains in Mexico.
“Is it true that in Mexico there’s different dialects of Spanish depending on where you come from?” Church asked.
“Yes,” Colon responded. He said he did not know which part of Mexico Cardenas was from.
“At any point, did you learn how Mr. Cardenas felt about deportation?” asked Church.
“No,” Colon responded. He said the topic of deportation never came up.
Colon confirmed that Cardenas asked if he could see his son. Colon said he later consulted Kimberly, who said she wasn’t going to bring her son to the jail.
“It wasn’t a good reception,” he said of her response.
When Church asked Colon to explain his answer, Judge Punch interjected, saying the issue at hand is, what is reasonable for a person in Cardenas’ position to receive, not the subjective intention of the interviewer.
Colon said the next day he was informed of a search warrant executed at the Cardenas residence, where blood was found in the basement and in the bathtub. He said he was not aware of any DNA search warrant.
Colon then went back to interview Cardenas a second time, to ask him, again, if he had any information about the whereabouts of his sister-in-law.
At the second meeting, Colon said he informed Cardenas that he wouldn’t be able to see his son. Asked what Cardenas’ reaction was, Colon told Church: “He was a true gentleman the whole time.”
Colon confirmed that at this point, Cardenas and Kimberly were both aware that blood was found in their house.
During that second meeting was when the alleged confession took place. Colon said Cardenas admitted to two sexual encounters with the victim, one taking place a couple days before her death, and one taking place the night of her death.
“Basically, he told you that both encounters were consensual, is that correct?” asked Church.
“Yes,” Colon responded.
At the end of Colon and Cardenas’ discussion, Cardenas signed the 11-page statement, Colon said. After Colon left, Cardenas wanted to talk to him again; he asked again if he could see his child.
Punch will be deciding within then next few weeks if the confession will be admissible as evidence in court. A trail has been scheduled to take place in December, with jury selection set to begin Dec. 12.


http://journal-register.com/local/x1642541567/Defense-questions-confession-tactics-in-Cardenas-case

More hearings in murder case

Posted: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 12:17 am
By Scott DeSmit sdesmit@batavianews.com | 5 comments
ALBION — A judge has decided to conduct more motions hearings regarding the case of an illegal immigrant charged with sexually assaulting and strangling his wife’s teenage sister.
Carlos Cardenas, 21, appeared in Orleans County Court Monday.
His attorney, Public Defender Sanford Church, requested “a new round of hearings” because of evidence gathered during hearings in September.
Church, among other things, is asking that any statements Cardenas made to police be suppressed at trial. He also is questioning search warrants executed and statements Cardenas made during a traffic stop.
Punch granted a new hearing for Dec. 2.
He said any decisions on previous motions would not made until the hearings conclude.
Cardenas in the statements admitted killing Katherine Sanchez, 15, on Jan. 15.
He said he had sexual relations with her, then strangled her until she fell unconscious. He said he hid Katherine's body in the basement of his house at 247 East State St. He later moved her body and buried it in a field in Ridgeway. He led police to her body on Feb. 18.
Cardenas, an illegal immigrant, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree rape and third-degree rape.
He is scheduled for trial on March 5.

http://thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_2df72730-09c9-11e1-8dd9-001cc4c03286.html