MIAMI – The sister of a woman killed Monday in a murder-suicide at her workplace in Miami provided more details to Local 10 News about what led up to the shooting.
The sister of Indiana del Socorro Guzman Mendoza, 32, said she begged her to go back to Nicaragua until things were safe.
She said there was a history of domestic violence against the victim, involving GPS tracking and harassment against her and her family.
“I love her. She will always be my little girl,” Maria Guzman said in Spanish.
Fighting through tears, Guzman described a horrific relationship her sister had with her estranged husband, Reynaldo Sandoval, 61, before Miami police say he took her life, and then took his own.
“He wasn’t a real man -- that he made the decision because he didn’t think about his family or my mother, and that he knew he was going to kill her,” Guzman said.
Guzman said her sister was paranoid for good reason as she constantly faced threats and stalking, even going as far as predicting her own death on social media, posting a video in which she said, “Whatever happens to me after I post this video, he’s responsible for. I put blame on him for anything that happens to me.”
The Nicaraguan journalist went to work Monday morning after a court hearing and called her sister to let her know she had arrived safely.
“After court, she was left with fear,” Guzman said.
Police said Sandoval went to the victim’s job at the Del Toro Insurance Company building, located at 42 NW 27th Ave., around 8 a.m. Monday where he shot her before turning the gun on himself.
“That day, the last call I was with her was at 7:53 -- a few minutes before he killed her,” Guzman said.
Guzman described Sandoval as a violent man.
“She had an injury right here on her face, right here, one on her shoulder and this part here,” Guzman explained to Local 10, pointing to various spots on her body.
She said restraining orders weren’t enough and even an arrest where he was later released wouldn’t keep him away as she said he continued to harass her sister and the entire family.
Records show Sandoval was arrested on April 2 for alleged stalking and violating a domestic violence injunction.
“He didn’t know where she lived and he knows what he did. He put a GPS on my brother’s car and he got to where she lived,” Guzman said.
Guzman believes law enforcement could have done more to protect her sister.
She said she didn’t learn about her sister’s death Monday from police, but from family in Nicaragua after the news hit the media in their country.
Sandoval’s daughter, who did not want to be publicly identified, released a statement to Local 10 News on Tuesday evening:
“In light of the recent tragic incident, it is important to acknowledge that everyone is entitled to their perspective. However, it is crucial to refrain from prematurely judging my father’s actions without understanding the full context. Both families involved are mourning the loss of someone very dear to them, and while I do not condone my father’s actions, I believe it is unjust to single him out for blame. The individual in question was not without fault herself; she came to this country from Nicaragua with the assistance of my father, who provided her with a supportive life. Unfortunately, when she realized that she could not secure residency, which was her primary objective, she betrayed my father and made false allegations of domestic violence in an attempt to gain legal status. My brother even extended an invitation to her brother to join us in the United States. It is disheartening to see my father portrayed as a dangerous individual when, in reality, he felt deeply betrayed and humiliated by his ex-wife—emotions that ultimately influenced his actions.”
Guzman plans to take her sister’s body back to their home country of Nicaragua to bury her there.
She has set up a GoFundMe page to help with final expenses.
Police confirmed that the couple got married in Nicaragua three years ago and separated in January.
Del Toro released a statement to media outlets regarding the incident Tuesday:
"This morning, a reprehensible and regrettable incident occurred at the headquarters of Del Toro Insurance. A completely unjustifiable crime of passion took place against one of our employees, who was on duty and serving the community.
At this time, Del Toro Insurance sends its condolences to the victim’s family and reiterates its total condemnation of this abominable act of extreme violence against a young and hard worker woman.
We extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones in this sad and difficult time. In the face of this misfortune and the pain that concerns us, the Del Toro employees, through tears, gathered and prayed outside the building to accompany the soul of our beloved colleague.
May her memory be honored as she deserves."
Del Toro Insurance
