Mother of teen killed at Hanford Mall fears a state law could ‘rob’ them of justice

By Brisa Colón

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    HANFORD, California (KFSN) — An empty bed, trophies and medals on the wall — 17-year-old Lorenzo Sanchez’s room where he left it.

“Lorenzo was a very happy kid, very athletic. His smile was just warming. He was a very humble kid,” says Julia Sanchez, Lorenzo’s mother.

Lorenzo was out shopping with his family on Saturday when he was approached by a group of five kids ages 11 to 15.

Investigators say an argument began, but Sanchez walked away. That’s when police say a 15-year-old came up from behind and stabbed him in the back of the neck.

“He did it with the intention of killing him because they did it right where they were going to kill. They went straight to where they’re going to kill him with just one stab,” says Sanchez.

A junior at Corcoran High School, he ran track and played football. He was named athlete of the year for the school, just a week before he was killed.

Lorezno was a straight-A student with the goal of attending Fresno State.

“He was a small boy with big dreams. He was going to get there. He had already applied for college. His future was bright for his age,” says Sanchez.

Julia faced her son’s alleged killer in court Wednesday. She described him as being numb and showing no remorse.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was a little boy, a little boy with a hand of a murderer,” says Sanchez.

Julia is now calling for justice. She fears her son’s killer could be released when he turns 25 under Proposition 57 in California, which focuses on evidence-based rehabilitation and allows a judge to decide whether the convicted child will be tried as an adult.

Julia says that wouldn’t be justice, and she doesn’t want this to happen to any other mother.

“I noticed that crime has gone up, and my son is not the only victim. It’s still happening. If we don’t come together, it’s just going to keep on happening,” says Sanchez.

The family has set up a GoFundMe.

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