Man gets life term for killing 10-year-old in Carrollton

The man was required to sit and listen to family members tell how the murder upset their lives.

Jose Sifuentes pleaded guilty to murdering 10-year-old Jasmen Gonzales.

CARROLLTON — A 24-year-old man avoided a life without parole sentence by pleading guilty Monday of the murder of a 10-year-old girl in Carrollton in October 2011.

Jose Sifuentes, who was in the United States illegally at the time of the offense, could possibly be paroled within 30 years after entering a guilty plea.

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday morning in a Dallas courtroom. However, Sifuentes, with attorney Juan Sanchez at his side, entered a guilty plea, making a jury trial unnecessary.

However, Officer Jon Stovall of the Carrollton Police Department said Sifuentes was required to sit and listen Monday afternoon to family members of Jasmen Gonzales, the 10-year-old victim, tell how the murder had upset their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

In October 2011, Sifuentes was accused of taking the girl from a bed in a home in the 1300 block of Walnut Street in Carrollton just before midnight. Lt. Doug Mitchell of the Carrollton Police Department, at a press conference on November 1, 2011, said evidence was gathered to show that Sifuentes should be arrested.

Following an extensive search, the girl’s body was found lying facedown in shrubbery in the back yard of a home near where the she had been visiting relatives. The medical examiner’s office ruled that the girl had died from a stab wound to the chest.

Police also believe the girl had been sexually assaulted.

The girl, who was from Oklahoma City, was visiting relatives in Carrollton when the incident occurred.

Sifuentes had never been charged with capital murder. Police explained that a capital murder charge would have required proof of premeditation.

The case against Sifuentes was prosecuted by Brandon Birmingham. Sifuentes had been scheduled to go to trial earlier this month, but the trial was delayed in order to determine whether he was mentally capable of being on trial.