The Barrow County Sheriff's Office has identified the victim in the county's third stabbing death this year.
Oscar Armando Lopez Melandez, 51, of Athens, was found dead in a drainage ditch off Booth Road in Statham on the evening of March 12.
Authorities were dispatched to the location in response to a tip from a concerned citizen. Upon arrival, law enforcement and emergency services personnel discovered Melandez face down in the mud. When emergency services personnel rolled Melandez onto his back to check for a pulse, they noticed he had been stabbed in the chest. Medics were unable to locate a pulse and Melandez was not breathing.
Adalberto Sanchez
Stabbing victim identified
At 10:43 a.m. the following morning, Adalberto Sanchez, 53, of Colbert was arrested on charges of felony murder, possession of a firearm or knife while trying to commit a crime and aggravated assault.
According to Inv. Matt Guthas of the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Sanchez and Melandez were reportedly arguing inside Sanchez’s vehicle when the confrontation turned deadly.
Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies located Sanchez at an apartment complex in Bogart and arrested him without incident.
Sanchez, who is currently on parole from Florida for first degree murder, has been residing in Georgia for an undisclosed length of time under the supervision of authorities. He was charged in 2000 with attempted murder and received a sentence of 15 years probation.
Sanchez is the third person arrested for murder in Barrow County since the beginning of the year.
Saul Rodriguez, 30, was arrested in January for murder and aggravated assault in connection with the Jan. 8 stabbing death of Luis Enrique Gonzalez-Pina, 20, at a home on Midland Avenue.
In February, authorities arrested Justin Baber, 18, on charges of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime after the Feb. 5 stabbing death of Marty Wilson, 50, at a Clacktown Road residence.
Anyone with information about this latest stabbing is asked to contact Investigator Lisa Farlow of the Barrow County Sheriff's Office at (770) 307-3080, ext. 4643.
According to Inv. Matt Guthas of the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Sanchez and Melandez were reportedly arguing inside Sanchez’s vehicle when the confrontation turned deadly.
Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies located Sanchez at an apartment complex in Bogart and arrested him without incident.
Sanchez, who is currently on parole from Florida for first degree murder, has been residing in Georgia for an undisclosed length of time under the supervision of authorities. He was charged in 2000 with attempted murder and received a sentence of 15 years probation.
Sanchez is the third person arrested for murder in Barrow County since the beginning of the year.
Saul Rodriguez, 30, was arrested in January for murder and aggravated assault in connection with the Jan. 8 stabbing death of Luis Enrique Gonzalez-Pina, 20, at a home on Midland Avenue.
In February, authorities arrested Justin Baber, 18, on charges of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime after the Feb. 5 stabbing death of Marty Wilson, 50, at a Clacktown Road residence.
Anyone with information about this latest stabbing is asked to contact Investigator Lisa Farlow of the Barrow County Sheriff's Office at (770) 307-3080, ext. 4643.
Homicide is the death of one person at the hand of another person.
Not all Homicides are murder - Involuntary Manslaughter and Self-Defense are just two instances where Homicides are not considered murders.
This is a case of homicide until such time as the court determines it was murder.
2 : a killing of one human being by another so before you make a comment know your sutff.
He is dead. He may be the victim of a homicide. But a court will have to determine if he was murdered.
The title of the press release issued by the Sheriff's Office was "Friday Night Murder Marks Barrow's 3rd in 2010."
Also, the man arrested was charged with felony murder.