FORT PIERCE, Fla. (Scripps News West Palm Beach)— Nearly 20 years after the tragic murder of the Escobedo family, St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro and State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl are reopening the case in efforts to pursue justice.
In 2006, Yessica and Luis Escobedo, and their two young sons, Luis Julian, 4, and Luis Damian, 3, were killed on the side of the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce. Officials say the two boys died in their mother’s arms.
State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl holds a photograph of two victims at a news conference. (Scripps News West Palm Beach)
In December, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of Ricardo Sanchez and Daniel Troya, the two convicted killers, removing them from federal death row. This controversial decision has sparked renewed efforts to reopen the case.
Now, Bakkedahl’s office is moving forward by seeking the death penalty for the two killers under Florida law.
During a Tuesday morning news conference, Bakkedahl recalled when he arrived at the scene of the horrific incident.
“I can tell you, as I stand here now, almost 20 years later, I remember like yesterday arriving on scene,” Bakkedahl said. “And I remember seeing what I could only describe as having occurred, an act of extreme evil. What I observed on the side of the road is unspeakable and inhumane.”
These murders sparked the largest criminal investigation in Treasure Coast history.
After months of trials, the federal jury in Florida unanimously recommended the death penalty for Sanchez and Troya. It was the first time in decades that a Florida federal jury voted unanimously on the death sentence.
Bakkedahl talked thoroughly of the due process of this case and how, after the death sentence, the defendants appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the death penalty.
Bakkedahl passionately expressed his disagreement with Biden’s decision to grant Sanchez and Troya clemency for the death penalty, saying it goes against the purpose of due process.
“We’re at a crossroads in this country. There’s a crisis in the confidence of the criminal justice system,” Bakkedahl said. “Politics has no place in this process. This is about merely following the law and the application of the law. At present, the people of the United States of America and the state of Florida believe that the death penalty is a just and proper function.”
The morning that Biden signed the clemency order, Dec. 23, 2024, Bakkedahl said he called Del Toro, newly elected as sheriff at the time, and asked for his help in pursuing justice by getting Sanchez and Troya back on the death penalty.
Del Toro, who was working for the Port St. Lucie Police Department at the time of the quadruple homicide, agreed immediately.
“Several cases leave lasting scars on you throughout your career, and this was a different type of case,” Del Toro said.
Bakkedahl said that, as State Attorney for the seventh smallest circuit in Florida, he is significantly down on staffing and needs all the help he can get from Del Toro’s office, which is made up of over 800 personnel.
“We’re going to have to locate evidence far and wide. This is a massive undertaking that we’re engaged in,” Bakkedahl said. “I don’t have the resources to do it. I could not do it without your sheriff.”
Three prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office will be leading the case as it reopens.
“I’ve assigned three of my most experienced prosecutors,” Bakkedahl said. “Between the four of us, we have over 102 hours of prosecutor experience, we’ve tried over 570 cases, and we’ve handled over 23 death penalty cases. We’re up to the task, and we’re going to do it.”
Del Toro said he appointed Deputy Chief Michael Swanchak and Captain of Criminal Investigation Division Steve Sessoms to oversee the case.
“I completely disagree with the president’s decision to commute this sentence, but I do respect the rule of law. He has a lot of power as a politician, but I have a lot of power as well, and so does our State Attorney, being elected officials,” Del Toro said. “I never abuse that power, but I never forget that we have it, either.”
The State Attorney, along with the St. Lucie County Sheriff, now needs to work on finding witnesses and gathering as much evidence as possible to provide sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution in this case. After that, they will seek a grand jury indictment.
“This is simply a pursuit of justice,” Bakkedahl said. “This is not political, this is not personal, this is the right thing to do.”
This story was originally written by Samantha Roesler for Scripps News West Palm Beach, an E.W. Scripps Company.
