COUPEVILLE – The mother of a girl slain by an Oak Harbor man forgave him Tuesday during an emotion-packed hearing after he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
“I forgive him,” Mary Jimenez said after the hearing in Island County Superior Court in Coupeville. “I just found it in my heart that I need to forgive him.”
James Lee Sanders admitted killing Jimenez’s daughter, Elaine Sepulveda, 15, on Nov. 6 in Oak Harbor. He buried her body in a compost pile in his grandfather’s back yard.
Judge Alan Hancock sentenced Sanders, 18, to 81/2 years in prison, the maximum allowed under the state’s sentencing guidelines. Sanders also pleaded guilty to unlawfully disposing of human remains and making misleading statements to a public servant.
The sentencing was a turning point for Sepulveda’s family, including her father and grandfather, who flew from El Paso, Texas, to attend the sentencing, Jimenez said.
“It’s going to mean that we can finally grieve for our loss,” she said.
In a plea bargain, Island County prosecutor Greg Banks amended the charges against Sanders after initially charging him with second-degree murder.
“I wouldn’t have brought it to the court had the family not been in support of it,” Banks said. “They’re very sharp people, and an incredibly strong and courageous family.”
The prosecutor said he was impressed with Jimenez’s comments.
“I thought it was one of the most powerful statements I’ve ever heard in court,” Banks said. “She was actually amazingly forgiving to this kid and extended mercy to him, if she had that in her power.
“When he apologized, (Jimenez)… kind of shouted out, ‘I forgive you’ from across the courtroom. She’s an extraordinary woman to be able to handle it with the kind of grace that she has,” Banks said.
Jimenez said her faith in God helped her pray for Sanders and his family. No matter how long Sanders stays in prison, her daughter will never come back, she added.
“There’s no winners. I lost my daughter. Mr. Sanders lost his son to a prison sentence,” she said.
Defense attorney Craig Platt couldn’t be reached for comment.
Authorities say Sanders was Elaine’s boyfriend, and he thought she was pregnant with his child. She secretly left her house to meet him, apparently to talk about the pregnancy, and disappeared. Police, family and friends searched for more than two months before her body was found.
Investigators suspected Sanders early in the investigation after his mother found a bag of Elaine’s clothes in his room the day after she was reported missing. There was blood on her sweat shirt.
Sanders earlier contended that he accidentally knocked Elaine down while trying to prevent her from killing herself and that she died of a head injury.
Jimenez said she was grateful for the support from friends and neighbors, including Sysbie Mickelsen.
The two women live on the same street but didn’t know each other when Sepulveda disappeared. Mickelsen spent hours supporting Jimenez and her family.
“Now she’s part of our family,” Jimenez said of Mickelsen. “I will be eternally grateful for everything she did for us.”
The tragedy changed the community, Mickelsen said.
“It made the community more aware that living in a small town is not always safe,” she said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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