Phoenix man threatened woman at gunpoint in her home before killing teen in car, court documents reveal
PHOENIX - New details have been released about the arrest of a man accused of shooting and killing a 17-year-old girl in Phoenix while she was in the car with her family last week.
Francisco Sanchez was booked on several charges, including first-degree murder. Court documents reveal that he also put another family in danger.
Phoenix Police say the 23-year-old man jumped into someone's backyard near 47th Avenue and Indian School early Friday morning. Sanchez reportedly pointed a gun at a 53-year-old woman sitting in her yard, grabbing her head and asking her if she wanted to die.
Sanchez pulled the woman into her home and then out into the front yard, where he saw the woman's son and friends, police said. Moments later, he ran away.
Francisco Sanchez (Courtesy: MCSO)
Police say he ended up in the street near 43rd Avenue and Indian School flagging down cars.
Eventually, Eunice Despaigne and her kids stopped in their SUV.
Sanchez reportedly walked up to the front passenger window and shot 17-year-old Eunice Rodriguez once in the head.
"I put my hand on my chest and I said 'Eunice I'm hit. Eunice I'm hit,' thinking that I was the one who got shot," said Despaigne, in Spanish.
The teen died at the scene, and Sanchez was arrested shortly after.
Court documents say he told detectives he had been using alcohol and cocaine earlier in the night. He also claimed he went to a bar where he thought he was being followed, so he ran into the neighborhood afraid he was being chased.
Sanchez now faces several charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, burglary and kidnapping. His bond is $1 million, and his preliminary hearing is on June 4.
GoFundMe for Eunice Rodriguez: https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-donations-for-eunice-rodriguez
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