Prosecutors say 8-year-old Sandra Cantu may have been raped before her body was stuffed into a suitcase, and they may seek the death penalty for the Sunday school teacher accused in the slaying.
Melissa Huckaby, 28, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Stockton.
San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Robert Himmelblau said Monday a murder charge against Huckaby could include the special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and murder in the course of a kidnapping.
Sunday School Teacher a Suspect in Killing of 8 Year Old
A conviction on any of them would make Huckaby eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole, Himmelblau said, although his office hasn’t decided whether to seek the death penalty.
Sandra disappeared on March 27, prompting a wide-reaching search in Tracy, a city of 78,000 people about 60 miles east of San Francisco. On April 6, Sandra’s body was found in a suitcase by farmworkers draining an irrigation pond located only a few miles from Sandra’s home in a mobile home park in Tracy.
Huckaby lived with her grandparents just five doors from Sandra. The little girl was a playmate of Huckaby’s 5-year-old daughter, Madison.
Watch the News Report
Police have not said how, where or why Sandra was killed, but Sgt. Tony Sheneman said investigators believe Huckaby acted alone.
“We have not been provided with one (a motive),” Sheneman said Monday. “We don’t know why a mother would kill another mother’s child.”
Neither Himmelblau nor Sheneman would provide details on any evidence leading prosecutors to consider the sexual assault allegations.
“I was hoping that wasn’t the case,” Sandra’s aunt, Angie Chavez, said through tears. “I’m in shock. The whole thing is unimaginable.”
In the days after Sandra’s body was found, investigators searched Clover Road Baptist Church, where Huckaby volunteered as a Sunday school teacher and her grandfather, Clifford Lawless, is the pastor.
Investigators also interviewed the pastor and seized items from his home. Her family has said they do not know what police were looking for.
Huckaby’s family visited her late Monday at the San Joaquin County Jail, where she was being held without bail. Himmelblau was not aware if Huckaby had an attorney.
“We’re in shock,” said Brian Lawless, Huckaby’s father. “The young lady I see on film, that’s not my daughter.”
Lawless said the family cried and prayed together during the visit.
On Sunday, outside the church after Easter services, Huckaby’s relatives described her as a loving mother with a strong religious upbringing.
“The allegations are so far outside what I know about my niece,” said Huckaby’s uncle, Brett Lawless, 48, of Lakewood. “Of course there are doubts in my mind. But we understand the police doing their jobs might have some probable cause.”
In 2006, Huckaby was convicted of petty theft in Los Angeles County. In January, she pleaded no contest to a petty theft charge in San Joaquin County, and was sentenced to 3 years probation on the condition that she participate in a mental health program.
News One Links
- Meet The First Black Female U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot -- newsone.com
- Pop Culture Moment #6: Jay-Z & Kanye West “N*ggas In Paris” [VIDEO] -- theurbandaily.com
- Which Rihanna Do You Love The Best? [PHOTOS] -- theurbandaily.com
- Unbelievable! Meet The 88-Year-Old Marathoner -- newsone.com
- Black District Attorney Frees The Innocent -- newsone.com
- How To Be The Black Friend -- theroot.com
