Salvador Alejandro Sanchez, a California teenager accused of murder who posted audio of the slaying and photos of his bloodied clothes on Snapchat, has told police that he killed his friend because he follows the ‘ride or die’ mantra from the Fast & Furious films.
On Tuesday, May 16, Escondido, California disclosed the details in their case against Sanchez, 19, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death last month of 20-year-old Maithem Alfuraiji.
Police say the gruesome murder occurred on April 27, when Sanchez and Alfuraiji, who were good friends, were drinking brandy and smoking marijuana in Mountain View Park. According to police, Sanchez expressed frustration that he was a high school graduate still working for his father’s landscaping company.
Via San Diego Tribune:
According to testimony from Escondido police Detective Greg Gay, friends of the two men were alarmed by messages posted April 27 on Sanchez’s Snapchat — including an audio clip on which Alfuraiji was crying and Sanchez could be heard saying something like “tell them why you are crying” and “tell them what you did.”
Other images included Sanchez’s bloodied knuckles and blood-stained white clothes, as well as original rap lyrics about killing the victim. One reads, in part: “don’t you cry… at least in the arms of a friend is where u die.”
Sanchez was arrested after two of his friends, Alexander Gendron and Kevin Rosado, confronted Sanchez on April 29, then reported the incident to the police. Sanchez was arrested the following day on April 30.
According to investigators, Sanchez said he had intentionally put on white clothes and lured Alfuraiji to Mountain View Park. He said after they drank brandy and smoked pot, Sanchez challenged him to a fight to the death.
Sanchez told police he targeted Alfuraiji because Alfuraiji was making “making decisions and meeting people” that put everyone they knew in danger, Escondido homicide Detective John O’Donnell said.
“And because of that, he needed to kill Maithem,” O’Donnell said.
Sanchez did not tell police why he felt Alfuraiji had put people in danger.
screenshot of Sanchez’s Snapchat
Sanchez, who has entered a not guilty plea through his public defender, has a trial date set for September 12.
A GoFundMe was set up to help Alfuraiji’s family with funeral services.
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