David Rodriguez Hernandez (DOB 12/29/1975)

Judge Rules David Hernandez can be Tried for 2013 Paso Robles Murder

Author: District Attorney's Office
Date: 7/18/2019 3:58:07 PM

At the conclusion of a three-day preliminary hearing, a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge ruled that there is probable cause to believe that David Rodriguez Hernandez committed the crimes of murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. These charges are stemming from the 2013 murder of Victor Hugo Sanchez.


In 2013, Victor Sanchez (37) was shot and killed in Paso Robles.  The victim’s ex-girlfriend Maria del Carmen Granados Fajardo, who was prosecuted and sentenced to 21 years to life in 2014, paid to have Mr. Sanchez injured and later killed.  David Rodriguez Hernandez is charged as one of the individuals hired to injure and kidnap Mr. Sanchez.  Three other suspects are still on the run.  The victim was first assaulted on October 6, 2012, with a tire iron, which left him with several broken bones.  On February 23, 2013, the hired group returned to kidnap and shoot Mr. Sanchez in the knees.  However, the victim resisted and was shot multiple times in a parking lot of a Paso Robles apartment building.  The injuries resulted in the death of Mr. Victor Hugo Sanchez.

David Rodriguez Hernandez was extradited from Mexico to face prosecution after having been on the run for six years.  Several law enforcement and immigration agencies were involved in the extradition of Mr. Hernandez. He was booked into the County Jail on January 30. 2019.  Today, at the conclusion of a three-day preliminary hearing, a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge ruled that there is probable cause to believe that  Hernandez committed the crimes of murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon.

Hernandez will be arraigned on the charges on July 31, 2019 in Department 1 of the Superior Court and the case will be set for trial. Deputy District Attorney Kristy Imel is the assigned prosecutor.

The case was investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.

It is important to note that a criminal complaint contains charges that must be proven in a court of law by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions.