Garden City Murder Suspects Arrested in Hugoton

By; Garden City Police Department

Two individuals arrested in connection to early Saturday homicide

Garden City, KS (August 4, 2024): One person is dead and two others were critically injured following a stabbing early Saturday in Garden City.

Fernando Sandoval, 20, and Ximena Sanchez-Espinoza, 21, were arrested in connection to the incident.

At 2:45 a.m., August 3, Officers of the Garden City Police Department were dispatched to the 2600 block of Chainey Street for a stabbing that just occurred. When Officers arrived, they found three people had been stabbed. The victims were transported to St. Catherine Hospital. One of the victims, identified as Xavier Castaneda, 20, later died.

Through a collaborative investigation by the GCPD and Finney County Sheriff’s Office, it was revealed that a fight broke out during a party, and Sandoval stabbed the three victims. Sandoval and Sanchez-Espinoza fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. Sandoval and Sanchez-Espinoza were later located in Hugoton and taken into custody, with the assistance of the Hugoton Police Department and Dodge City Police Department.

Sandoval was lodged in the Finney County Jail for Murder in the Second Degree, multiple counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and multiple counts of Aggravated Battery.

Sanchez-Espinoza was lodged in the Finney County Jail for Felony Obstruction.

The investigation is ongoing.

*The person(s) involved has not yet been convicted of a crime and are presumed innocent. The presumption of innocence shall continue until such time that the person(s) accused may be found guilty by a court of law.*
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