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Chris Sanchez murder trial, day three

Leah Leggett's will left most of her belongings to her common-law husband Chris Sanchez, the man accused of killing her on Christmas Eve 2008.
Her children inherited $1 each, her daughter testified today.
Sanchez, 48, is on trial this week. He's been charged with murder in Leggett's death.
KFOX reporter Dena Richardson, who has been sitting in on Sanchez's trial since testimony began Friday, reports that Leggett's daughter described Leggett, 62, as "her best friend and soul mate."
After her mother's death, she moved out of El Paso because "there's too much pain here."
Leggett's children did inherit Leggett's home in the 200 block of Fluorite, which they sold.
Leggett's daughter also testified that Leggett enjoyed Sanchez at times, but other times were "pure frustration and sadness."
Follow the trial's developments on Richardson's Twitter page, http://twitter.com/denarichardson.

Day two of the Chris Sanchez murder trial

Chris Sanchez, left, speaks with his attorney Daniel Gonzalez during a break in Sanchez's trial Monday afternoon. Sanchez is charged with the murder of his common-law wife, Leah Leggett, on Christman Eve 2008. (Photo by Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)

 

A friend of a woman killed on Christmas Eve 2008 — allegedly by her common-law husband — testified Monday that their friendship changed drastically in the months before her death.
Chris Sanchez, 48, is charged in the murder of Leah Leggett, 62. Prosecutors accuse Sanchez of shooting Leggett twice in the couple’s Upper Valley home.
Leggett’s friend and neighbor, Blanca Rosales, testified that she had known Leggett for more than 30 years, and that she had also been friends with Leggett’s husband, Robert Leggett, who died shortly before Leah Leggett’s murder.
Rosales said in court that after her husband’s death, Leah Leggett withdrew from her friendship with Rosales and began spending time with other widows from her church, but the two exchanged greetings whenever they saw each other.
When Sanchez moved in with Leggett about eight months before her death, Leggett stopped speaking to Rosales, Rosales testified.
She also testified that whenever she would call Leggett or knock on her door, she wouldn’t get a response.
In October 2008, Leggett crashed her Pontiac Firebird into Rosales’ rock wall. When Rosales came out of her home to survey the damage, Leggett began telling Rosales that she had “given everything up for Chris, she loved him so much, but she had made the biggest mistake of her life. He treated her so bad and always accused her of cheating.”
Rosales testified that at the time of the crash, Leggett appeared nervous and upset.
When Sanchez emerged from the couple’s home after hearing the crash, Rosales testified, Leggett began cursing at him. After he walked away, Rosales said, Leggett said “she was going to pay for that later for saying that to him.”
Before Rosales took the stand, El Paso Police Officer J. Valenzuela testified he and another officer responded to the couple’s home in June 2008 after Leggett reported Sanchez had stolen jewelry that belonged to her.
Valenzuela testified Sanchez was asleep in the couple’s bedroom and that Valenzuela’s partner woke him up. The officers escorted Sanchez to their patrol car and asked him to return the jewelry. After Sanchez returned the jewelry, the officers gave him a trespass warning and told him Leggett no longer wanted him at the home, Valenzuela said in court.
Officers have previously testified that when they arrested Sanchez after Leggett’s murder, they found him with $77 that had been withdrawn from Leggett’s bank account and several rings belonging to Leggett.
Sanchez told police he put the rings in his pocket after cleaning them, and had withdrawn the money because Leggett had asked him to run some errands for her.
ATM receipts show Leggett had a balance of more than $7,000 left in her account.
During his videotaped statement to police detectives, Sanchez said Leggett had fought with him over sex and threatened him with a handgun, which went off after he tried grabbing it from her.
Sanchez said in the statement he left the scene after the shots were fired but didn’t notice if Leggett had been shot.
Sanchez’s trial resumes Tuesday morning in the 41st District Court before Judge Mary Anne Bramblett.

Odd story: Ball hits truck, kid gets ticket, officer suspended

AP - 

A Metro Louisville police officer who ticketed a 7-year-old boy for hitting his truck with a ball has been suspended for 15 days.

The Courier-Journal reports an internal affairs investigation shows Officer Cody Chapelle violated department policies in the October 2009 incident.

Chapelle wrote the boy a citation, charging him with third-degree criminal mischief.

Police Chief Robert White said on Wednesday that one of the department’s greatest assets is common sense and said Chapelle showed none in writing the ticket.

White said the citation was appropriately thrown out of court.

Chapelle’s attorney, Mary Sharp, says her client will appeal the suspension.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com

Police: LC men break into apartment, are scared off by resident with handgun

Two 18-year-old Las Cruces men are in jail after they broke into an apartment Wednesday evening and were confronted by a resident armed with a handgun, according to a news release from the Las Cruces Police Department.

Read more from the Las Cruces Sun-News

Remembering crime victims; find out how to get help

Mellisa Ramirez held daughter Isabella Ramirez while Samantha Ramirez, also her daughter, pointed to a name on the Crime Victims Memorial Sunday. They were paying tribute to Arthur Lee Fonseca, Ramirez's cousin. Victor Calzada / El Paso Times

Read story on ceremony at Crime Victims Memorial in Yucca Park

More photos from Sunday's ceremony

Help for El Paso crime victims: www.elpasocrimevictims.org/