Searches for a Lorenzo Sanchez murder case usually point to one of two unrelated matters. The first is Lorenzo Bahena Sanchez, a Mexican national serving a life sentence in Minnesota for the 1999 killing of 12-year-old Cally Jo Larson in Waseca. The second is Lorenso Sanchez, a 17-year-old high school football player from Corcoran, California, who was fatally stabbed outside a Hanford shopping center in April 2025. The two share only a name.
The 1999 Killing of Cally Jo Larson in Waseca, Minnesota
Cally Jo Larson, 12, arrived home from school by bus at about 2:55 p.m. on April 20, 1999, at her family’s home near Loon Lake in Waseca, Minnesota. About an hour later her older sister Jayme found her in the stairwell. She had been sexually assaulted, stabbed in the chest, and hanged by a cord. Waseca police were on the scene by 4:17 p.m.1Southern Minnesota News. Remembering Cally Jo
The investigation ran for more than a year before authorities named a suspect. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recovered the victim’s hair and personal items, including a CD carrying case, from the residence where Lorenzo Bahena Sanchez had been living.2Washington Post. Trump Criminals Deportation Policy Sanchez was in the country without legal authorization. He had been deported after the murder, re-entered illegally, and was arrested by Waseca police on February 18, 2000 on an outstanding warrant tied to a string of local burglaries. That arrest led investigators to connect him to Larson’s killing. He was indicted on June 30, 2000, and court records show he also used the alias Andres Roberto Ortiz.3Brainerd Dispatch. Sanchez Pleads Guilty in Cally Jo Larson Killing
The Guilty Plea and Sentence
On March 5, 2001, Sanchez entered a surprise guilty plea to first-degree premeditated murder. He told the court he had gone into the Larson home to burglarize it, left, and returned to retrieve his identification. When Cally Jo discovered him inside, he killed her to keep her from reporting him.3Brainerd Dispatch. Sanchez Pleads Guilty in Cally Jo Larson Killing
The plea dropped four other charges, including criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, and two alternative theories of first-degree murder. In exchange, Sanchez received a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years rather than life without parole.4Brainerd Dispatch. Cally Jo Larson Murder Case Ends He was sentenced on March 6, 2001, with the life term running concurrently with a four-year burglary sentence and a prior Texas sentence.3Brainerd Dispatch. Sanchez Pleads Guilty in Cally Jo Larson Killing
Minnesota Department of Corrections records classify the conviction as second-degree murder with a 480-month, or 40-year, sentence.5Minnesota Department of Corrections. Offender Details The reason for the difference between the news reporting of a first-degree plea and the corrections classification is not explained in available records, though the practical outcome — a life term with parole eligibility in February 2030 — is consistent across sources. Sanchez’s brother Miguel publicly claimed Lorenzo did not commit the crime and had confessed only because he was “depressed and wanted to get the matter over with.”4Brainerd Dispatch. Cally Jo Larson Murder Case Ends
Where Sanchez Is Now and the Parole Question
Sanchez remains incarcerated. He was transferred at some point to a prison in Texas, though the Minnesota Department of Corrections still lists him under its jurisdiction.5Minnesota Department of Corrections. Offender Details His earliest parole date is February 2030, and the formal review process is set to begin in early 2027.4Brainerd Dispatch. Cally Jo Larson Murder Case Ends
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed an active detainer on him, signaling federal intent to take custody if he is released from state prison. The case has drawn attention as the Trump administration presses states to hand incarcerated people in the country illegally to federal authorities for deportation. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said that under such policies “the criminals serve their time and then are turned over to ICE. They aren’t taken out prematurely before they serve their time.” Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said the state has no interest in releasing inmates before their sentences are fully served.2Washington Post. Trump Criminals Deportation Policy
Cally Jo’s sister Jayme Larson and her husband Chad have stepped up their public campaign as the parole date approaches. In late January 2026, Chad emailed Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Commissioner Schnell, and two U.S. senators asking that Sanchez neither be released early nor deported. “We do not care if he was born here or born in Mexico, he committed a crime here,” he wrote. “He needs to finish his sentence here — where we know exactly where he is and we know that he won’t hurt anyone else. We want him to take his last breath in a Minnesota prison.” The family plans to attend the parole hearings beginning in 2027.2Washington Post. Trump Criminals Deportation Policy
The 2025 Fatal Stabbing of Lorenso Sanchez in Hanford, California
The other case involves a different person and a different role. Lorenso Sanchez, sometimes reported as Lorenzo Sanchez, was 17 years old and the victim, not a suspect. He was fatally stabbed on April 26, 2025 outside the Kohl’s at the Hanford Mall in Hanford, California, at about 5:30 p.m., following an argument with a group of five teenagers. Surveillance footage reportedly showed him being stabbed once in the neck from behind. He was pronounced dead at the scene.6ABC 30. Family Identifies 17-Year-Old Hanford Kohls Stabbing Victim
Sanchez was a sophomore at Corcoran High School and a varsity football player, a second-team all-conference defensive tackle in 2024 after recording 95 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. He also competed in track and wrestling.7Fresno Bee. Lorenso Sanchez Stabbing8ABC 30. Footage Links 15-Year-Old to Deadly Stabbing of Hanford Teen
A 15-year-old suspect, not publicly identified, was arrested and booked into the Kings County Juvenile Center on suspicion of murder. Police said multiple items recovered from the suspect connected him to the killing.6ABC 30. Family Identifies 17-Year-Old Hanford Kohls Stabbing Victim He was charged with first-degree murder with a special enhancement for use of a knife and pleaded not guilty at an April 29, 2025 court appearance. The Sanchez family has said it intends to advocate for changes to California’s Proposition 57 to allow juveniles charged with murder to be tried as adults.9KMPH. 15-Year-Old Pleads Not Guilty in Deadly Stabbing of Lorenzo Sanchez