Families angered by recent violence demand change
From the Las Vegas Optic
By the time the sun set on Monday, Sept. 21, Cassandra Lucero’s family had begun to worry. Her father hadn’t seen her all day, and she hadn’t called. He contacted police, and friends and family began searching for the 29-year-old Las Vegas woman.
Investigators with the Las Vegas Police Department searched for Lucero too. Following leads, investigators located two suspects in Lucero’s disappearance. They soon learned she’d been beaten to death, her body then carelessly dumped in a pit where it was burned in an apparent attempt to dispose of evidence.
The news hit Lucero’s family hard. Lucero was a kind, loving person, they said. Someone who was always there for them. Her father, Anthony Sanchez, called Lucero his protector.
“Anything that’s ever happened to me, she was there for me,” Sanchez said. “She got along with everybody. She had friends everywhere. She helped out whoever needed help.”
Sanchez said he’ll miss hearing her laugh and beamed with joy as he thought about the things she enjoyed.
“She loved to draw. She loved to color,” he said. “She was just an outgoing, bright, beautiful, caring person.”
In late October, LVPD arrested Amber J. Archuleta, 28, and John T. Sanders, 24, in connection to Lucero’s death. Sanders told police that after purchasing some crack cocaine, Archuleta beat Lucero to death as he drove them to a ranch in Mora County, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Mora Magistrate Court. Sanders also admitted to helping Archuleta burn Lucero’s body.
