Anaheim resident Sandra Fernandez’s former boyfriend is jailed without bail after police said he waited near her workplace.
TUSTIN, Calif. — Sandra Fernandez had just started a new job and was leaving training when police say her former boyfriend shot her outside a Tustin workplace, leaving three children and a family searching for answers.
The killing of Fernandez, 42, of Anaheim, has led to a murder charge against Juan Marquez, 47, of Hawthorne. Police said Marquez waited near Fernandez’s workplace on May 14, shot her after she left for home, fled into Mexico and was arrested two days later while returning to the United States. Prosecutors later added a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and a gun enhancement, while relatives focused on the children and the funeral they had not expected to plan.
Fernandez’s family described her first as a mother. A fundraiser organized by her niece, Melitza Uribe, said Fernandez had a 5-year-old child, a 14-year-old child and an older son finishing college. The page said Fernandez was a single mother of three who worked to provide for herself and her family. It said relatives did not know of any life insurance policy and were gathering money for funeral and burial costs. Uribe wrote that Fernandez had her life ahead of her and that no one deserved to leave family the way she did.
Public comments from relatives placed the loss inside a close family circle. Uribe said Fernandez was remembered for happiness, helping hands and always being there. She said Fernandez brought energy into rooms and had a spirit that touched those around her. “There’s so much you can see from the outside,” Uribe said. “You know, the happiness, the helping hands, the always being there, being a great mother.” Uribe said the arrest of Marquez gave the family one development but not closure. “We don’t know the motive. We don’t know why,” she said.
The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. near Yorba Street and Medford Avenue. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found Fernandez unresponsive on a curb with gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told police they saw a man dressed in black leave the area and drive away in a dark, older-model sedan. Police later identified Marquez as the suspect and said he was Fernandez’s former boyfriend. They said he had laid in wait near the workplace before killing her as she walked to her car. Authorities have not publicly described any argument or warning before the gunfire.
Fernandez had recently begun working in the area, and coworkers said her time there was short but meaningful. Cassie Rossel said Fernandez had already built strong connections. “Even though it was just under a month, she already was making good relationships and having a great impact,” Rossel said. Family members said Fernandez had been leaving a training session when she was killed. The timing, just after a workday and near a workplace parking area, made the death stand out to people who had watched Fernandez start something new. Police said the attack appeared isolated, but they have not announced a motive.
Investigators said Marquez left the country after the shooting by crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Tustin police obtained an arrest warrant by May 16. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained Marquez that afternoon as he attempted to return to the United States through the border checkpoint. Tustin detectives took him into custody and he was booked into Orange County Jail without bail. Police said the department had confirmed his involvement before the arrest. They have not said whether the dark sedan was recovered, whether surveillance video was used or whether a gun was found.
On May 19, prosecutors charged Marquez with murder. They added a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and an enhancement for discharge of a gun causing death. The special circumstance allegation is tied to prosecutors’ claim that the killing was an ambush. Marquez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Public reports after the filing did not list an upcoming hearing date. Authorities also did not disclose whether he had retained or been assigned an attorney. The case now moves through Orange County’s court system as detectives continue to gather and review evidence.
For the family, the legal process is moving beside funeral planning. Uribe said she had nothing to say to Marquez if given the chance. “Only God knows what he deserves,” she said. “He can take care of that. My heart is going to show no hatred.” The fundraiser said a kermes was planned for May 24 to help raise money for services. It also included a Spanish-language message to relatives and supporters, reflecting a family trying to explain the same sudden loss across languages while preparing to lay Fernandez to rest.
Marquez remains jailed without bail on the murder charge. Prosecutors have filed the lying-in-wait allegation, police have not disclosed a motive, and Fernandez’s family continues to wait for the next court step and a fuller account of why she was killed.
Author note: Last updated June 17, 2026.