Man who killed sister-in-law sentenced

ALBION, N.Y. (WIVB) - A month after 15-year-old Katherine Sanchez disappeared in Albion in January of 2011, her brother-in-law confessed to raping and killing her.

Carlos Cardenas was sentenced on Monday to 25 years to life. And neither the prosecution or the defense seemed surprised the 22-year-old was given the maximum possible sentence.

Orleans County District Attorney Joseph Cardone said, "This was an ugly homicide. I think the judge was right in giving the maximum sentence here and as the judge indicated, it's not justice because it would be good if something more could be done, but there really isn't anything."

Defense attorney Mary Beth Feindt added, "That's such a difficult question whether or not it's fair. I mean, this a 15-year-old girl is dead and always going to be dead. By the same token, my client's a 22-year-old whose entire life is now going to be in the Department of Corrections, in essence."

Cardenas' wife screamed obsenities at him while being held back the day he was indicted for murdering her little sister, Katherine Sanchez. The 15-year-old had been missing for a month in the winter of 2011 before her body was found.

Cardenas is a Mexican citizen who lived in Albion with his wife and her family. Eventually, he admitted strangling Katherine after he says she threatened to tell her older sister that Cardenas had sex with her. The young teen's body was found buried in an apple orchard in the Orleans County Town of Ridgeway.

"This is a man who's never really been in trouble and has no familiarity with the American justice system," Feindt said.

Cardenas chose not to speak at sentencing.

"He's not a person who's comfortable speaking to many people," Feindt noted. "But he has from the beginning of my representation, which was April, expressed remorse."

Cardone said, "She was taken at a very young age, just a beautiful young lady, she had a great future ahead of her."

Cardenas will be in a state prison until he is at least 56-years-old, and then he will be deported back to Mexico.