A Florida man is facing allegations that he stabbed his girlfriend 15 times inside the home they shared, then acknowledged killing the defense technology engineer during a recorded 911 call later played in court, local outlets reported.
Kyle Sanchez, 35, has entered a not guilty plea to a charge of first-degree murder with a weapon in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Amanda Roark, 37, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said deputies responded shortly after 3 p.m. on June 19 to a residence on Tuscan Loon Drive in the Palm River area after a 911 caller reported an emergency at the home.
Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies said investigators determined that Kyle Sanchez, 35, killed his girlfriend, Amanda Roark, 37, while the two were together inside the residence. Sanchez is charged with premeditated first-degree murder with a weapon. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
Upon arriving, deputies found Roark dead with trauma to her upper body. Sanchez was also at the residence and was transported to Tampa General Hospital with minor injuries, where he was reported to be in stable condition, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators later concluded that Sanchez killed Roark while they were both inside the home, authorities said.
At a pretrial detention hearing, prosecutors presented Sanchez’s 911 call, during which he told the dispatcher, “I murdered my girlfriend.” (Fox 13 Tampa)
According to FOX 13 Tampa, Sanchez is accused of stabbing Roark 15 times. Prosecutors played the 911 recording during a pretrial detention hearing, where Sanchez could be heard telling a dispatcher, “I murdered my girlfriend.”
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After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge denied Sanchez bond. He will remain in custody as the first-degree murder case moves forward.
Authorities have not released a motive or additional details about what led up to the fatal attack.
Roark worked at SOFWERX, a Tampa-based technology organization that describes itself as “an innovation platform for the United States Special Operations Command,” which remembered her as a cherished teammate and “a light in the Tampa community.”
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our Teammate Amanda Roark,” SOFWERX said in a statement. “Amanda was a cherished member of the SOFWERX family and a light in the Tampa community. Her warmth, her dedication, and the genuine care she brought to everyone around her made a lasting impact that words cannot fully capture.”
Talia Landman said Amanda Roark was an engineer and a mentor. She believes she someday would have become an astronaut. (Fox 13 Tampa)
Roark’s college friend, Talia Landman, told FOX 13 that Roark was “an absolute light” who welcomed everyone with a “gigantic smile.”
“She was taken from us in such a horrific, tragic, and just, I mean, terrible, scary way,” Landman told the station.
Landman said Roark was a talented engineer who mentored young women pursuing careers in math, technology and engineering. She told FOX 13 that she believed Roark could have had a future with NASA missions to the moon in the next decade.
“He didn’t just kill or murder his girlfriend. He took away Amanda Roark,” Landman said. “He took her life as this woman who had so much going for her.”
The sheriff’s office said the case appeared to be domestic-related.
