The California teenager who has been charged in the death of her little sister is opening up about the fatal accident, and her decision to livestream images of the victim in the aftermath of the crash.
Obdulia Sanchez, 18, is now claiming that she filmed the lifeless and blood-covered body of her 14-year-old sister Jacqueline as the young girl took her final breaths because she knew her family would need the money for the girl’s funeral.
That startling statement was casually dropped in as a ‘P.S’ at the end of an eight-page letter Obdulia wrote from behind bars at Merced County Jail and sent to local CBS affiliate KPGE.
‘P.S: I made that video because I knew I had more than 5K followers. ‘It was the only way my sister would get a decent burial,’ wrote Obdulia.
‘I would never expose my sister like that. I anticipated the public donating money because my family isn’t rich.’
She then added: ‘Sorry for making that video. I look awful but I accomplished my goal.’
Speaking out (again): Obdulia Sanchez (above) wrote an eight-page note to local CBS affiliate KPGE while behind bars at the Mercad County Jail
Crash: She is awaiting trial after entering a not guilty plea to manslaughter and DUI charges after a July 21 car crash that claimed the life of her sister (accident scene above)
Tragedy: Jacqueline Sanchez (above) was killed when she was thrown out the window of her sister’s car, and Obdulia made the decision to livestream the girl’s death
Claim change: ‘I made that video because I knew I had more than 5K followers. ‘It was the only way my sister would get a decent burial,’ wrote Obdulia in her letter as a ‘P.S.’ (above)
Earlier in the note, Obdulia wrote about the album she wants to record and dedicate to her sister, which will include a remix about the dangers of texting and driving set to the song ‘Como Lo Flor’ by the late Mexican singer Selena.
She also detailed her desire to speak at high schools about the dangers of drinking and driving, open a boxing gym with her father one day and erect a statue in Stockton to pay tribute to Jacqueline.
Obdulia would also like to start her own clothing line she wrote in the note, which was not released in full by KPGE.
‘I know I deserve to go home. I want to visit [Jacqueline’s] gravestone every day,’ wrote Obdulia.
She is instead looking at up to 164 months in prison if convicted on the six charges she is facing: felony manslaughter while intoxicated, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, two counts of driving under the influence resulting in injury, and two additional counts of driving with a 0.08% blood alcohol content causing injury.
Obdulia entered a plea of not guilty to all these charges during a court appearance earlier this month and has remained in prison ever since being booked just after midnight on July 22, following a trip to the hospital.
The horrifying livestream of the crash was posted to social media by a young woman who knew Obdulia and managed to film a copy of the video before it disappeared from her feed.
Obdulia was livestreaming before the crash as well, with video showing her and her little sister in their 2003 Buick along with Jacqueline’s 14-year-old girlfriend Manuela Seja.
The three were heading to Stockton at the time to attend Jacqueline’s Catholic Confirmation Ceremony the following day.
Obdulia, who had a blood alcohol level of 0.1 percent according to Merced County District Attorney Harold Nutt and hospital records, lost control of the car outside Los Banos and sent it crashing through a fence, at which point Jacqueline went flying out the back window.
That is when Obdulia made the decision to get her phone and begin livestreaming once again, capturing her bloodied sister as she died.
Lengthy letter: In that same letter she also said she wants to open a boxing gym, build a statue to honor her sister, and design her own clothing line (letter above)
Video evidence: Obdulia’s livestreams were captured by a woman who followed her and managed to grab them before they were removed from her timeline (before crash on left, after on right)
She is seen in a field near the crashed vehicle, looking into the camera and saying: ‘Everybody, if I go to … jail for life you already know why.’
Jacueline can be seen lifeless on the ground with clear signs of head trauma.She is either close to death or already dead in the video.
Seja, who was also ejected from the vehicle, could be seen as well while waving her arms and trying to summon help in the distance.
‘My sister is … dying. Look … I … love my sister to death,’ Obdulia continued, adding: ‘Jacqueline, please wake up.’
She then began to kiss her sister’s face.
‘I f***ing love my sister to death. I don’t give a f***. We about to die. This is the last thing I wanted to happen to us but it just did,’ said Obdulia, who also had blood covering her face.
Booked: She was put behind bars just after midnight on July 22 after a trip to the hospital
‘Jacqueline, please wake up. This is the last thing I wanted to happen… I killed my sister, but I don’t care. I killed my sister. I know I’m going to prison, but I don’t care. I’m sorry, baby. Imma hold it down. Rest in peace, sweetie.’
She then said to her dead sister: ‘If you don’t survive, I’m so f***ing sorry.’
Obdulia later explained to police that even though she was livestreaming, she did stop the video twice to call 911 and get help.
During one of those calls, Obdulia said to the operator: ‘Can you come pick up my sister, she is f***ing dead. Man, I just crashed and I was DUI . Can you please come pick us up?’
Meanwhile, accounts given by first responders at the scene that have been filed in Merced County Criminal Court did nothing to help Obdulia’s cause, painting her as rude and violent.
‘I contacted Sanchez and she was completely belligerent, kicking and spitting at people and insulting everyone there with numerous racial slurs,’ reads the document.
‘I asked Sanchez if she was the driver. She yelled yes, I was driving and I killed my “expletive” sister. Sanchez was escorted to the back of Riggs ambulance and placed inside, where she immediately kicked a Riggs EMT in the face.’
Later in the document it is revealed that Sanchez as what he was being charged with following the crash.
‘I advised her of her charges and she asked me how much her bail was going to be. I stated I didn’t know. She started talking about prop 57 and how it would cut her time in half.’
Obdulia was eventually strapped into a gurney to get her to stop kicking, spitting ad yelling according to the report.
Hopes: She also is planning a tribute album for her sister with a remix about the dangers of texting and driving and wants to speak at schools about drinking and driving
Away they go: Reports from first responders at the scene which have been submitted in the court filing reveal that Obdulia (above being placed in the ambulance while in handcuffs) was violent at the scene and kicked and spit at authorities
Her claim that the livestream was done for funeral costs however appears to be at odds with what her court-appointed lawyer previously said in court.
Ramnik Samrao said that Obdulia did not know what was happening or what she was doing in the moments after the crash, a claim that she acknowledged in court, saying she looked like a ‘monster’ in the footage.
Samrao also said that he was unaware his client had written or planned to send the letter.
The over $12,000 that has been raised for Jacqueline has been through a Go Fund Me page as well, which had little to do with Obdulia’s followers om Instagram.
Samrao previously revealed what his defense in the case would be late last month.
‘We have reason to believe the accident was caused by wear and tear on the tire, causing it to blow out,’ revealed Samrao, saying that is where he would be focusing his investigation.
Samrao also asked that people not rush to judge his client.
‘People are involved in tragic car accidents every day where someone dies. Not every time is there a crime committed’ he explained.
‘It’s important for people not to rush to judge her. Everyone has only seen a few minutes of her life on an Instagram video. They know nothing about her history, or her history in the foster care system, or that she was a victim of sex trafficking.’
Partners: Jacqueline’s girlfriend, 14-year-old Manuela Seja, was also in the car but oinly suffered some minor injuries (Seja and Jacqueline above)
Manifesto: The contents of the entire eight-page note (above) have not been released at this time
Obdulia does not seem to be helping her situation in recent interviews though, with the young woman sounding indifferent at times.
She was shockingly blase about livestreaming and driving in an interview with KPGE just last week, despite having been in jail for a month and suffered the loss of her sister.
‘We do it all the time — all the time. Trust me, it’s like a reflex. Like, I haven’t crashed, you know?’ said Obdulia of her filming and driving abilities.
‘Everybody does it. Everybody does. They take Snapchats. Everybody does it. Why not? People take video of them in cars, like, all the time. And I’m only 18 — we’re still young.’
Video before the crash on that same day however shows Obdulia almost colliding with a van as she speeds down the road and livestreams with her sisters and Seja.
She also spoke about how much her sister loved her and her parents need her in that interview, urging people to stop threatening her life because of the impact it would have on her mom and dad.
‘You’re only going to make my parents suffer more. You’re not going to help anybody else,’ said Sanchez.
‘My parents are grieving. They want me back home. The house is super lonely without us. We were like the joy of the house.’
She then said of her sister: ‘She’s 14. She’s like my mini-me – like my best friend. She looked just like me. Any time I look at her, it’s like I’m looking at myself. It makes me like – it makes me really sad that she’s gone.’.
And to her detractors Obdulia said: ‘Just because I’m not crying a river now on the phone, [it] doesn’t mean I’m not remorseful.’
Meanwhile, the prosecution has expressed their disbelief at the teenager’s actions and statements multiple times.
‘The behavior demonstrated both prior to and after the incident, as documented by the defendant’s own recording, is disturbing and shocking,’ said DA Nutt in July after Obdulia’s first appearance in court.
‘The Merced County District Attorney’s Office will do everything in its power to see that justice is done in this matter.’
She is currently being held on $560,000 bail.