Illegal charged in killing of grandmother deported 6 times

FPI / December 30, 2019

An illegal immigrant from Mexico who has been deported six times over the last decade has been arrested in the Dec. 17 killing of a 51-year-old Colorado grandmother.

Juan Sanchez was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and fleeing the scene of an accident after he allegedly hit and killed Annette Conquering Bear while she was walking home from a Denver Walgreens, 9 News reported.

A mother of six and grandmother of five, Conquering Bear was due to celebrate her 52nd birthday on Dec. 19.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said that Sanchez had been deported from the U.S. twice in 2002, three times in 2008, and in 2012. Sometime after his last deportation, he illegally re-entered the U.S. for the seventh time.

Sanchez, 39, had been in custody on suspicion of drunk driving but, four days prior to the deadly hit-and-run, he was released by local law enforcement before ICE could lodge a detainer against him so he could be turned over to their custody.

During that arrest, Sanchez was allegedly driving drunk with a blood-alcohol level of 0.183, which is twice the legal limit. Police said Sanchez admitted to having had “two beers” before getting in his car and driving with an “international driver’s license.”

Sanchez was taken into custody at the time and was then quickly released after he became uncooperative and allegedly telling officers, “I’ll fight my way out of jail” and “I will only be in jail two minutes.”

Colorado Bureau of Investigations and ICE records reviewed by 9 News suggest Sanchez had been arrested on suspicion of DUI at least three times prior dating back to 2000.

Sanchez is now being held on a $500,000 bond.

Free Press International