Bio

Pablo Melendez Jr. was born on November 16, 1975. In 1994, Melendez was 18 years old and living in the Fort Worth, Texas area. On the night of September 1, 1994, he was drinking beer with friends outside a residence.

Around 11:30 p.m., Melendez said he was going to rob someone and walked away alone. Shortly afterward, he approached Michael W. Sanders and Tommie Joe Seagraves, who were sitting in a pickup truck near a pay phone at a self-service car wash. The robbery led to Sanders’s murder.

Murder Story

On September 1, 1994, Michael W. Sanders and Tommie Joe Seagraves were sitting in a pickup truck near a pay phone at a self-service car wash in Fort Worth, Texas. That night, Pablo Melendez Jr. had been drinking with friends nearby. Around 11:30 p.m., he said he was going to rob someone and walked away alone.

Melendez approached the pickup truck with a gun. Without warning, he fired into the truck and shot Seagraves in the neck. He then demanded money from Sanders. Sanders gave Melendez the money and started walking back toward the truck. Melendez then shot Sanders several times. Sanders died within minutes.

After shooting Sanders, Melendez pointed the gun at Seagraves and pulled the trigger, but the gun was empty. Melendez then left the scene. Seagraves survived and later testified against him.

Melendez was tried in Tarrant County, Texas. On April 1, 1996, he was convicted of capital murder for killing Michael Sanders during a robbery. He was sentenced to death and was received on Texas death row on May 21, 1996. His appeals were denied. As of the latest official Texas prison records, Pablo Melendez Jr. remains on Texas death row at the Polunsky Unit.