Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death in his Palm River home last month, Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez’s office announced Monday.
Kyle Sanchez, 36, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of 37-year-oldAmanda Roark.
Prosecutors based their decision to seek the death penalty on three aggravating factors: The killing was “committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner;” the crime was “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel;” and Sanchez kidnapped Roark, Lopez’s office said in a news release.
Police received two calls from Sanchez’s home on Tuscan Loon Drivejust after 3 p.m. June 19, according to a motion prosecutors filed seeking to keep Sanchez jailed until trial.
The first came from Roark. She did not respond to the dispatcher’s questions.Instead,she repeatedly said “stop” before the call became inaudible, court records say.
Twelve minutes later, Sanchez called 911.
“I murdered my girlfriend,” he told the dispatcher, according to court records.
Police found Sanchez covered in blood. Roark was dead in the living room next to two kitchen knives, according to court records. Her wallet and an overnight bag sat in the kitchen.
She sustained approximately 65 stab wounds, according to the state attorney’s news release.
“Hearing the victim beg for her life on that 911 call is truly heartbreaking,” Lopez said in a statement. “It is a devastating reminder of the fear and suffering she endured in her final moments.”
Sanchez was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he told a detective he and Roark had been dating since 2024, court records state.
He worked for defense tech firm Iron EagleX doing data analysis at MacDill Air Force Base until his contract ended in May. Records show he has no previous criminal history in Florida.
He is being held without bond in Hillsborough’s Falkenburg Road Jail.
Court records show he is being represented by Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Spradley. She did not immediately respond to requests for comments Monday afternoon.
The state’s declaration that it will seek the death penalty does not guarantee Sanchez will be executed if he is convicted. Under state law, a jury vote of at least 8-4 is required to recommend a death sentence.
If the jury recommends death, and the judge agrees, Sanchez would still be entitled to appeal his conviction and sentence, which could take years.