Bio

Luis Cervantes Salazar was born on August 31, 1970, in Eastland, Texas. He grew up in a small community, but specific details about his early childhood and family life are mostly unknown. By the time he reached school age, he had completed only 11 years of formal education.

Salazar became well acquainted with his neighbors, including a family that would later be directly affected by his actions. He lived next door to Martha Sanchez and her family for about three years. During this time, Sanchez's husband, Oscar Ochoa, would help Salazar secure a job at a local retail store where Ochoa worked. However, their relationship was not entirely positive. There were reports that Salazar made unwanted advances toward Martha, which led to increasing discomfort for her and her family.

In the years leading up to 1997, Salazar had a patchy employment record and incidents of legal trouble. He had been involved in several criminal activities, including robbery. He faced legal issues in relation to a prior sexual assault charge and was given probation. He was known to have a history of violence and had been in trouble with the law multiple times before the crimes that would later define his notoriety.

Salazar moved out of his home around September 1997 and took up residence at a different address in San Antonio. He was known to frequent places where he could drink and use drugs, which may have impacted his mental state.

By October 11, 1997, his past actions caught up with him in a tragic way. That night, he would become involved in a violent crime that would end in tragedy for the Sanchez family and change the course of his life forever.

Murder Story

On October 11, 1997, Luis Cervantes Salazar committed murder at a home in Bexar County, Texas. Salazar entered Martha Sanchez's home through a front window. He took a kitchen knife and went into her bedroom, where he began stabbing her multiple times.

Martha's ten-year-old son, Erick, heard his mother's screams. He rushed into the room and tried to help her. In the process, Salazar stabbed Erick in the chest. Despite his injury, Erick managed to flee the house and ran to a neighbor's home for help. The neighbor, Sylvia Montenegro, answered the door to find Erick bleeding and alarmed. He informed her that someone had attacked both him and his mother.

Sylvia called 911, and soon, the police arrived. They found Martha unresponsive in her bedroom with multiple stab wounds. A knife was found near her body. Two of Martha’s younger children were also in the room at the time of the attack.

After the incident, Salazar called 911 himself to surrender to the police. He was arrested without resistance. During his trial, medical experts testified that Martha’s injuries were consistent with an attempted sexual assault. Salazar admitted to stabbing both Martha and her son, but claimed he was under the influence of drugs and mistaken about where he was.

Salazar was eventually convicted of capital murder. He was executed by lethal injection on March 11, 2009. He expressed love for his family in his final moments but did not directly acknowledge the victims or express remorse for his actions.