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Dateline: Unforgettable aired the shocking case of Tina Sandoval's murder on February 8, 2024, on Oxygen.
Tina Sandoval was a Colorado-born woman who was a star student in school. In addition to excellent academic scores, she also had a good record in sports like Basketball and Track.
She was working as a Licensed Practical Nurse when she disappeared in 1995 after a meeting with her husband, John. Her disappearance remained a mystery for 22 years as the police were not able to find her remains. In 2016, John finally confessed that he murdered Tina and buried her body in a cemetery.
Here is the official synopsis of the episode:
"When Tina Sandoval disappears, her parents and loved ones spend years searching for her; Dennis Murphy takes a fresh look at the secret Tina kept and at the demon who forced her loved ones to make an agonizing decision."
Read on to learn five shocking details about Tina's murder, as shown on Dateline.
Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Tina Sandoval's death
1) Tina was separated from her husband and they were about to divorce
Dateline victim Tina married her husband, John Sandoval, in 1991. The couple met at the University of Northern Colorado, where they were both studying medicine.
While the couple tied the knot as college sweethearts, their marriage did not work, and they decided to get separated. By 1995, Tina had already moved on, lived by herself, and dated new people, but it was reported that John still wanted to mend things with his wife.
2) Dateline victim Tina disappeared after a meeting with her ex-husband
On October 19, 1995, Tina was supposed to meet with her ex-husband to sign some papers and settle their debt for divorce. It was reported that she had her doubts about meeting with John, which she also discussed with her friends.
Tina disappeared after this alleged meeting with John, and never made it to her home. She was reported missing by October 20, 1995.
3) The police found circumstantial evidence in John's house
After discovering that Tina disappeared after she met with John, he became the primary suspect in the case. The police also found John returning to his home on Oct 20 at 5:46 am in the surveillance footage.
They also found muddy clothes, footprints in his house, and fresh nail marks on his back, chest, and shoulders. While all the circumstantial evidence pointed out that John had harmed Tina, the police could not arrest him due to lack of evidence.
4) Tina's case was re-opened in 2009 and John was arrested
A new DA re-opened Dateline's victim Tina's case and John was arrested without physical evidence. The police were still not able to find her body, but he was arrested and tried in court for first-degree murder.
The Colorado Court of Appeals reordered for a trial in 2016.
5) John revealed the location of Tina's body in exchange for a plea deal
During his re-trial, John finally offered to give up the location of Tina's body in exchange for a reduced sentence. He revealed that he dug a grave further by 2 feet and buried Tina's body beneath another body in the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
The police finally found Tina's dead remains after 22 years and John was sentenced to 25 years in prison at the Trinidad Correctional Facility.
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