HOUSTON — A man entered a guilty plea Monday, more than five years after he was charged with murder in connection with his estranged wife's death.
Jennifer Sanchez's body was never found, but as part of the plea deal, Joey Sanchez told authorities where he hid her body.
Jennifer disappeared in September 2018. A couple of weeks after she was reported missing, Joey Sanchez was charged. Even though investigators couldn't find her body, they felt as if they had enough to file the charge.
Joey Sanchez waived his right to a jury trial and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Jennifer's disappearance
The couple was separated and Jennifer had a restraining order against her ex.
The 39-year-old mother of six boys was last seen on Sept. 7, 2018, around 1 a.m.
Texas EquuSearch spent days canvassing the area south of Martin Street near Shepherd Drive in north Houston looking for clues that could help them find her but came up empty.
The body
Jennifer's family waited a long time for Monday's revelations. They waited years to find her body and give her a proper burial.
"She never got to see her grandbabies. One of them is so much like her," Ophelia Gomez said.
Joey Sanchez said he dumped her body in Galveston.
"We don’t know if it’s the truth. If he did throw her in the ocean, it's just a pinpoint," Gomez said.
He also revealed how he killed his estranged wife. It was painful for Jennifer's family members to hear.
"He said that he strangled her with his hands and hit her with a beer bottle and he cut her in the temple," Gomez said.
Jennifer's family said they feel like some justice was served and are holding out hope that her body will one day be found.
"I just want somewhere I can mourn for her ... where I can take her grandkids," Gomez said.
Gomez said the family bought a plot next to Jennifer's grandmother where she hopes to lay her daughter to rest one day.
Criminal history
Joey Sanchez had a criminal past at the time he was arrested for Jennifer's death. In 1996, he was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
"They were still married. He was a very violent person. She had put a restraining order. He was going to go to court," Jennifer's aunt, Yvonne Wiemann, said.