Rape Victim Dies Of Injuries One Month Later—Riverside County Man Could Now Face Murder Charges In Riverside

A Banning man accused of raping a homeless woman could face homicide charges after the woman died of injuries she suffered in the attack, Riverside County sheriff's officials stated.  Joseph Jimmy Blancarte, 47, was initially charged with rape by force and attempted murder in the attack on 43-year-old Mary Sanchez, a transient who lived in the Cabazon area.  She died on May 4, 2011, nearly a month after a passerby found her, unconscious, the morning of April 4 along Citrus Avenue in Cabazon.

With Sanchez's death, the district attorney's office is reviewing the Sheriff's Department's request to charge Blancarte with homicide rather than attempted murder, officials said.  If the medical records show that the victim died as a result of the injuries suffered in the attack, or a complication thereof, then it is a virtual certainty that Blancarte will indeed face murder charges.  The rape charges carry a maximum of eight years in prison.  However, attempted murder carries half of the potential term as murder so Blancarte’s maximum exposure in this case will likely increased significantly now that his victim has died.  Blancarte remains jailed and his bail has been set at just over $1 million.

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