Lifetime's Sleeping with a Killer: How was Kendra Hatcher's murder case cracked?

The upcoming episode of Sleeping with a Killer is all set to look into the disturbing murder of Kendra Hatcher, who fell victim to jealousy and misplaced feelings.

Kendra, a promising 35-year-old woman, had almost everything right in her life, a job she loved, a partner with whom she could see a future, and an overall happy life in Dallas, Texas. This is until the fateful evening of September 2, 2015.

Out of everything that had transpired between Kendra and her boyfriend, Dr. Ricky Paniagua, what she did not know about was the fatal obsession of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Delgado.

A hurt and obsessed Brenda decided that putting an end to Kendra's life was her only way to get her love back after months of cyber-stalking the couple. She did this with the help of two hired accomplices, Crystal Cortes and Kristopher Love.

Despite a string of twists, authorities finally got to Brenda Delgado and charged her with capital murder. Read on to find out how this complex case was cracked.

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How did the authorities single out Brenda Delgado in Kendra Hatcher's murder?

The case was barely straightforward, despite Brenda's direct link and motive. This was because of the clever murder strategy and the airtight alibi that Brenda created for herself on the night of the murder, but she could not cover every track that led back to her.

Brenda hired Crystal Cortes, a single mother in desperate need of money, and Kristopher Love, a small-time drug dealer. She allegedly lured them into the plan by offering them money and drugs. Kristopher shot Kendra Hatcher in her parking lot and Cortes worked as the gateway driver. Brenda planned to make it look like a robbery.

The only thing that Brenda did not think through was the vehicle they used to escape the murder scene. It was a black Grand Cherokee that she borrowed from her friend, Jose Luis-Ortiz. Brenda was having dinner with Luis-Ortiz during the crime to solidify her alibi. But the Jeep was caught on security footage. The footage also showed a woman driving it. The Jeep reportedly arrived before Kendra Hatcher did, and patiently waited in the parking lot. When Kendra arrived, the shooter walked out of the Jeep and shot her.

Investigators released photos of the Jeep to the media. Two days later, Luis-Ortiz came forward and told the authorities that it was his vehicle but he had loaned it to a friend, Brenda Delgado.

Brenda was brought in for questioning but she denied knowing Kendra. She also said that she gave it to her 'friend' Crystal. Crystal Cortes was brought in, and she told an alternate story of car-jacking. After the authorities pointed out the inconsistencies in her story, she changed her narrative and said that she did not know about the murder. She said she only knew that there was going to be a robbery and revealed that Brenda paid her to do it.

The authorities deduced the link between Hatcher and Brenda from this point forward. Dallas Police Detective Eric Barnes said:

"She admitted that Brenda paid her to be the getaway driver so we had enough to arrest her that night for murder. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough evidence to place Brenda in custody so the only thing that I had to work with was an unpaid traffic ticket and we did arrest her for the unpaid traffic ticket."

Cortes also revealed that the shooter's name was Lamar and that he drove a blue Chrysler Sebring. She also gave out his phone number. Though the name was fake, authorities tracked down Kristopher Love and arrested him. They also found a weapon in his car that was used to kill Kendra Hatcher, as per the ballistics report.

Love was charged with capital murder and sentenced to death. Brenda posted bail after this and fled to Mexico. She was a citizen of both countries and hence had to be extradited. As a part of the extradition agreement, Brenda would avoid the death penalty for the murder of Kendra Hatcher.

She was later sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

The upcoming episode of Sleeping with a Killer will dive into more details about Kendra Hatcher's murder when it airs on July 11, 2022.