John Sandoval: The Voyeur Who Killed His Wife and Buried Her in a Graveyard

March 2024 · 5 minute read

John Sandoval is a convicted murderer who killed his estranged wife, Tina Sandoval, in 1995 and hid her body in a cemetery for 22 years. He was finally brought to justice in 2017 after he confessed to the crime and revealed the location of her remains. This article will explore the background, motive, and aftermath of this shocking case.

The Troubled Marriage of John and Tina Sandoval

John and Tina Sandoval met at AIMS Community College in Greeley, Colorado, in the mid-80s. They were both studying for careers in the medical field: Tina for an Associate’s Degree in Nursing, and John for a Radiology Technician. They married in the Colorado Rocky Mountains on December 31, 1991, according to The Cinemaholic.

However, their marriage soon turned sour when Tina discovered John’s dark secret: he was a voyeur who stalked and spied on women. He would follow them from convenience stores, watch them through their windows, and even break into their homes to steal their underwear. He also allegedly threatened to kill himself if Tina left him, according to Ready Steady Cut.

Tina filed for divorce in 1993 and moved into a new apartment. She also started dating again, much to John’s dismay. He did not want to let her go and continued to harass and stalk her. He would park his car outside her apartment and call her repeatedly. Tina confided in her co-workers, family, and doctor about her fears of John’s behavior.

The Disappearance and Murder of Tina Sandoval

On October 19, 1995, Tina agreed to meet John at a local bank to settle some financial issues related to their divorce. She told her co-workers at the North Colorado Medical Center that she would be back soon. She never returned.

The police suspected John of foul play and placed him under surveillance. They saw him return to his home around 5:46 AM on October 20. They arrested him on unrelated trespassing charges when he tried to flee from them. They searched his car and found a wet and muddy shovel. They also searched his home and found Tina’s credit cards, which had not been used since four days before her disappearance.

They also noticed that John had several fresh scratch marks on his face, neck, chest, and shoulder, which looked like they were caused by fingernails. They interrogated him about Tina’s whereabouts, but he denied any involvement in her disappearance. He claimed that he had met her at the bank, but she had left with another man.

The police did not believe him, but they did not have enough evidence to charge him with murder. They released him on bail, but kept him under close watch.

The Long Search for Justice

For the next 12 years, the police tried to find any clues or leads that could link John to Tina’s murder. They searched several locations where they thought he might have buried her body, but they came up empty-handed. They also interviewed hundreds of witnesses and potential suspects, but none of them could provide any useful information.

Meanwhile, John continued to live his life as a free man. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a security guard at a casino. He also remarried twice, but both marriages ended in divorce.

In 2009, the police got a break in the case when they received a tip from an informant who claimed that John had confessed to killing Tina and burying her body in a cemetery in Greeley. The informant also said that John had drawn a map of the cemetery and marked the spot where he had hidden her remains.

The police obtained a search warrant and went to the cemetery with cadaver dogs. They followed the map that John had drawn and dug up a grave that belonged to someone else. Underneath the coffin of the original occupant, they found another coffin that contained Tina’s body.

They arrested John again and charged him with first-degree murder. He was tried in 2010 and found guilty by a jury. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The Final Twist and Outcome

However, John appealed his conviction and claimed that he had received an unfair trial due to some procedural errors. In 2016, an appeals court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial.

As the prosecutors prepared to retry him, John offered to make a deal. He agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a reduced sentence of 25 years in prison. He also agreed to reveal the details of how he killed Tina and why he buried her body in a cemetery.

He confessed that he had strangled Tina in his car after their meeting at the bank. He said that he had planned to kill her for months because he was angry that she had left him and moved on with her life. He also said that he had chosen the cemetery as the burial site because he thought it would be the last place anyone would look for her.

He apologized to Tina’s family and said that he hoped they could find some peace and closure. He also said that he hoped God would forgive him for his sins.

The judge accepted his plea deal and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. He also gave him credit for the time he had already served, which made him eligible for parole in 2020, according to 9News.

However, John is still incarcerated as of 2023. His next parole hearing is scheduled for 2026, which means he has an expected release date in 2032. He is currently serving his sentence at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Crowley, Colorado.

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