CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ A Mecklenburg, N.C., County jury Tuesday convicted Edward Sanchez of four counts of first-degree murder in connection with drug-related killings in 2015.
Sanchez, 21, is expected to receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for each death. One of his victims was Mirjana Puhar, a former contestant on the TV show, "America's Next Top Model."
The killings occurred in February 2015: Rosool Harrell, 22, a Xanax dealer, was shot three times in the back outside a Matthews hotel room.
Puhar, 19, her heroin-dealer boyfriend Jonathan "Cupie" Alvarado, and Jusmar Gonzaga-Garcia, were all found dead two days later in a small house not far from uptown. All three had been shot.
The jury announced its verdict before Superior Court Judge Eric Levinson around midday. Sanchez's accused co-conspirator, Emmanuel Rangel, still faces his own murder trial connected to the killings.
Sanchez was convicted in part on evidence provided by loved ones. It was Sanchez's father who first notified Charlotte-Mecklenburg police that his son and Rangel had been involved in the robberies and killings. His former girlfriend and accomplice, Emily Isaacs, testified about the shootings in Matthews, and how she and Sanchez bolted on a 1,000-mile drive after the killings in hopes of crossing the Mexican border to safety. She faces a murder charge as well.
A Texas state trooper stopped the pair outside of Houston. Prosecutors say Puhar's blood was found on Sanchez's boots and jeans.
