Arson suspected in murder coverup

Benjamin Sanchez held without bail after pleading innocent in the murder of Ana Cruz
by The Republican Newsroom
Monday July 20, 2009, 12:03 PM
Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanBenjamin Sanchez appears in District Court in Springfield Monday where he pleaded innocent to the murder of Ana Cruz.
This is a 5:09 p.m. update of a story posted at 12:03 this afternoon.
By BUFFY SPENCER bspencer@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - Benjamin Sanchez will be held without right to bail on charges for the stabbing death of his estranged wife Ana I. Cruz and the burning of her home in what police say Sanchez held without bail after pleading innocent in the murder of Ana Cruz was an arson fire set to cover up a murder. Documents in the court file for the murder case say that Cruz was stabbed 35 times, with 15 puncture wounds in her left chest and upper arm and 20 puncture wounds to the middle of her back. About two dozen family members of Cruz were in the courtroom for the arraignment of Sanchez on Monday in Springfield District Court, many wearing T-shirts with her picture and messages in her memory.
Sanchez, 38, of 55 Better Way, pleaded innocent before Judge William J. Boyle to charges of murder and arson. He also denied two charges of violating of a restraining order for incidents that police said preceded Cruz' death on July 12. Defense lawyer Alan J. Black had no comment after the arraignment. The body of Cruz, 38, was discovered in her burning home at 681 Bay St. in the early morning hours of July 12. An autopsy concluded Cruz died from stab wounds and smoke inhalation. Cruz left two sons, two daughters, her parents, three brothers, two sisters, four grandchildren and many other relatives. Family members waiting outside the courtroom for the arraignment talked of Cruz' optimistic personality and love of family, but also the horror of events as they unfolded on July 12. She was buried Friday in St. Jerome Cemetery in Holyoke. Alfred Santiago, Cruz' 19-year-old son, had gone to his mother's house to pick her up for work at Baystate Medical Center on the morning of July 12 and discovered the house had been burned. Vanessa Garcia, Cruz' daughter, said she had been trying to reach her mother for hours, and was surprised Cruz' phone was turned off because she never did that. Garcia was told about the fire, and then the family learned about what had happened to her mother. Garcia, 22, said her mother, who was called "Annie," managed to still be happy no matter what she was going through. She said her mother and Sanchez had been separated and going through a divorce. "He was always trying to get to her and upset her," Garcia said of Sanchez. "I always knew he would try to harm her." She said she warned her mother to be careful and invited her to stay at her house. Garcia said her own 5-year-old daughter is distraught and "grieving very much" about her grandmother's death. Because of that, she did not take the child to the funeral. "We're trying to not tell her the details," Garcia said. "She went with my mom to Six Flags on the Thursday before (Cruz' death). I want my daughter to have that memory of her." Filings in the case say that although Sanchez said he did not leave his trailer once he went home late July 11, the car he was driving was seen on surveillance video leaving the mobile home park at 12:08 a.m. July 12. The car came back to the mobile home park home at 12:33 a.m. The fire was first reported at 12:33 a.m., the filings said. In a statement to police early July 12 at police headquarters Sanchez said he knew of no one who would want to hurt Cruz. In the July 12 statement he told police he and Cruz were getting divorced because he has been a heroin addict on and off for 20 years. The court filings said that when Sanchez was interviewed by police July 12 he had fresh injuries on his right hand and forearm that were consistent with a physical altercation.