Northeast News

June 20, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Police in Colorado have arrested a man who allegedly killed a woman with his vehicle on August 15, 2015, near the intersection of Independence Avenue and Spruce in the Historic Northeast.

27-year-old Luis M. Sanchez has been charged with Murder in the First Degree and Armed Criminal Action in the death of 37-year-old transgender woman Tamara Dominguez. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters-Baker announced the charges on the afternoon of June 20.

According to the probable cause statement released with the press release, Dominguez was hit repeatedly by a black SUV shortly before 3:00 a.m. on August 15, 2015. A witness observed the victim exit the SUV at around that time, hearing the car door slam shut. The witness then heard tires screeching, before seeing and hearing the suspect’s vehicle bump as if it had driven over the victim. The suspect then stopped, backed over the victim, and then drove forward over the victim again. This occurred in the parking lot behind 4233 Independence Avenue. When police arrived on the scene, they declared the death a homicide due to multiple blunt force trauma.

“This is a murder case, so we will be pursuing justice for the victim,” said Mike Mansur, Director of Communication at the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Surveillance videos from earlier in the night show Dominguez talking to the driver of the Avalanche, and subsequently getting into the vehicle believed to have been driven by Sanchez.

A tipster helped police track the vehicle, eventually identified as a black and gray Chevy Avalanche with black custom wheels, to a residence in Northeast Kansas City. Sanchez had allegedly been regularly driving the vehicle to a co-worker’s house, whom he would then carpool with to his place of employment. Authorities obtained a warrant, towed the vehicle, and found the victim’s DNA underneath the Avalanche. Investigators found that Sanchez had worked for a construction company, but when police reached out to his supervisor, they learned that he stopped coming to work shortly after his vehicle had been towed away by police.

Police re-interviewed Sanchez’s sister Verenice Sanchez on April 7, 2016, during which time Verenice revealed that her brother had confided  that he’d been involved in a bar altercation around the time of the homicide. Luis told her that after the altercation he’d hit an individual with his car, although he stated that it was in self-defense. Sanchez claimed the individual had pulled a gun on him. Verenice Sanchez further stated that Luis fled to Colorado after the KCPD and FBI seized the Avalanche on August 21, 2015. According to Verenice, he was living with his uncle, Jaime Jaquez.

Police eventually tracked Sanchez down in Colorado, taking him into custody. Prosecutors have requested a bond of $250,000.