Oscar Sandoval charged in Mesilla homicide, remains at large

Mesilla Marshals continue to investigate an April 1 homicide near the edge of town, where a woman was killed and a suspect, her husband, remains at large.

It has been a few years since the town has seen a homicide, and at a Saturday morning press conference Mayor Russell Hernandez affirmed that town marshals were leading the investigation with the support of Doña Ana Sheriff’s detective Eddie Flores, who is temporarily assigned to the marshals.

Law enforcement provided a few new details about the investigation and appealed for tips as to the whereabouts of Oscar Renee Sandoval, 57, who has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Sheireen Al Jibury, identified in charging documents as his spouse.

Marshals responded to an eyewitness report of a woman being shot on University Avenue and Stanford Street the night of April 1, arriving at about 8:22 p.m. Al Jibury was found unresponsive and, according to court filings, died at the scene despite attempts to revive her. 

Details of her injuries, including how many gunshot wounds she sustained, have not been available or are pending an autopsy report. 

The eyewitness who was driving nearby reported seeing the Ford stop in the westbound lane of University Avenue when Al Jibury left the vehicle and ran toward the witness, saying, “I’ve been shot.” 

The witness then observed a man, whom she later identified from a photo lineup as Sandoval, emerge from the car, chase the victim and fire four shots at her with a handgun, striking her at least once. The witness then drove her own car away from the gunman in reverse and called 911. The gunman, meanwhile, drove away from the scene heading west toward town, at which point the witness began to render first aid to the victim, according to charging documents.

On Saturday, acting Sgt. and public information officer Lourdes Hernandez said a Ford Explorer belonging to Sandoval, located in Sunland Park by sheriff’s deputies, was still being processed and that a bullet hole on the passenger side of the vehicle had been discovered.

Court filings state that a vehicle similar to Sandoval’s was found on local camera footage heading south on Avenida de Mesilla minutes later. The license plate number confirmed that Sandoval is the registered owner of the vehicle. 

Meanwhile, the couple's adult children had contacted police early in the morning on April 2, concerned after not hearing from either of their parents.

Per the court document, family members used cell phone data to locate the vehicle parked on a residential street in Sunland Park on April 2, and neighborhood security cameras captured footage of a man identified as Sandoval leaving the vehicle wearing shorts and a dark-colored hoodie sweatshirt and walking away. 

The car was towed to Mesilla for a court-authorized search which, according to the court filing, uncovered the bullet hole, minus a bullet; a 9mm casing on the passenger-side front floor mat matching casings found on University Avenue; an unspent bullet sitting in a console cup holder; and a wallet containing Sandoval’s driver’s license and credit cards. Earlier described as a Chaparral resident, it appears Sandoval had a Texas license and an address in El Paso. The I.D. also indicates he is 57, not 59 as initially reported.

Sgt. Hernandez said marshals continued to search the crime scene for evidence on April 4 and 5, and located a spent bullet on the ground that was collected and sent for forensic examination in Santa Fe. 

Asked why the walk-through was conducted several days after the murder, Sgt. Hernandez said, “This is a normal procedure and has been going on since day one, and will continue.” 

No information about Sandoval’s whereabouts was disclosed, if known. Sgt. Hernandez said the department welcomed any information about the suspect, now a defendant, and invited tips to be addressed to crime scene investigator Danny Garcia at 575-526-4138 or by email at dannyg@mesillanm.gov.

Mayor Hernandez confirmed that marshals were the lead agency for the investigation, and despite the comparative rarity of homicide investigations for Mesilla, he said Garcia “has several, several years of experience is very qualified.” 

Per an affidavit filed in court, Garcia has previously worked for the Las Cruces Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, the El Paso Sheriff’s Office and El Paso Intelligence Center over a 45-year law enforcement career.

The mayor continued, “Our department as well as other supporting departments have been handling this case very tightly very closely, and ensuring that everything is secure and our community is completely secure.”