Staff report
The man responsible for the death of Kyle resident Yuridia Amaya Espinoza-Nava in 2019 plead guilty to her murder this week and was sentenced to 33 years in prison —exactly the number of years Espinoza-Nava had been alive when he killed her with a knife and buried her body in the woods outside Elgin.
Tomas Sanchez Solorzano, a Bastrop resident, had faced up to 99 years behind bars. The sentence was the result of a plea deal arranged accepted by Bastrop County District Judge Chris Duggan, the Austin American Statesman is reporting.
Espinoza-Nava was reported missing by her family on Feb. 23, 2019 after not returning home from work the day prior. Her car was found at a South Austin convenience store about a week later. Sanchez-Solorzano came to police attention during a traffic stop on March 25, and reportedly admitted the crime once he was questioned.
After his admission, he led police to a grave site “marked with a crude cross,” the newspaper said, quoting investigators.
On the day he entered his plea and was sentenced, Sanchez-Solorzano heard from the victim’s sister addressed him in Spanish while giving her witness impact statement from the witness stand.
