Inset: Marcus Sanchez appears in court (WTVJ). Background: The home Sanchez set ablaze with his deceased wife inside (WTVJ).
A 44-year-old Florida man has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars after prosecutors said he fatally shot his wife, remained in their apartment with her decomposing body for several days, and then set the residence on fire.
Marcus Aron Sanchez was ordered Wednesday by Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Christine Hernandez to serve a life sentence in a state correctional facility for the 2024 killing of Jenny Miguel, court records show. The sentence came after Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of murder and one count of arson.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Miami firefighters were called to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of SW 13th Street shortly before 2 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2024, after reports of a residential fire. When first responders entered the home, they found the burned body of a woman inside.
At about the same time, Sanchez was receiving treatment at a nearby hospital for severe burns “all over his body” after driving himself there and telling authorities that he had killed someone.
Sanchez told a Coral Gables police officer that he had argued with Miguel, whom he identified as his wife.
“Sanchez told him that he got into an argument with [Miguel] because she told him that she had killed his children,” the affidavit states. “Sanchez states that he shot the female 1 time in the head and 1 time in the heart.”
He also told authorities how he suffered the burns, saying he poured gasoline throughout the home and ignited it while he was still inside. Sanchez said Miguel “was dead” and described her body as “bloated,” according to the affidavit.
A nurse at the hospital later told investigators that when Sanchez first came in, he was screaming for help.
“She pushed me to the edge,” he said. “[Miguel] told me she killed my kids. I lost it. I got a gun and shot her 3 days ago. The body was rotting, and I didn’t know what to do with the body.”
Sanchez further stated that he was not suicidal and had burned himself by mistake.
Surveillance footage from a Chevron gas station showed Sanchez arriving at 12:46 a.m. on Aug. 18, purchasing a red 5-gallon fuel can with cash, and filling it with gasoline before driving away.
At his sentencing hearing, Sanchez apologized to Miguel’s family, telling the court he became paranoid while using drugs and started hearing voices, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported. He said he grabbed his gun and shot Miguel twice before eventually deciding to burn everything down.
Miguel worked as a payroll clerk for the Miami Police Department for more than 15 years before her death. The courtroom for Sanchez’s sentencing was filled with Miguel’s family as well as police officers who had worked with Miguel and wanted to honor their former colleague, the station reported.
Miguel’s daughter read a victim impact statement in which she addressed Sanchez directly.
“I want you to die,” she reportedly told him. “I will never forgive you.”
While Sanchez sought a 25-year sentence, Hernandez reportedly said that life in prison was demanded by the facts of the case.
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