Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - Where is Sandra Melgar now?

In August 2017, Sandra Melgar, 57, was convicted of stabbing and bludgeoning Jaime Melgar, her husband of nearly 32 years, inside their Houston home. The murder happened on December 22, 2012, one day before their wedding anniversary.

She was sentenced to 27 years in prison following her first-degree murder conviction, but maintained her innocence throughout.

Sandra is currently serving time at the Carol Young Complex in Dickinson, Texas, after a disputed and controversial guilty jury verdict based on circumstantial evidence. The prosecution claimed that she murdered her husband to get out of the marriage and staged the scene to make it seem like a home invasion.

An upcoming episode of Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is scheduled to revisit Sandra Melgar's case, which made headlines for its unusual and mysterious nature. The episode, titled Unspeakable, re-airs on the channel this December 22 at 8 pm ET.

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Sandra Melgar claimed that she did not remember the events from the night of her husband's murder

Sandra Melgar was discovered in a closet in her Houston-area house two days before Christmas 2012, tied up, with the door jammed shut by a chair. Her 52-year-old IT specialist husband Jaime Melgar was discovered dead in another closet from blunt force trauma and at least 31 kitchen knife stab wounds. The scene was discovered by relatives who arrived at their house on December 23.

Melgar informed authorities that they were the victims of a home invasion and that she was unable to recall the events of the night after likely suffering from a seizure during the assault.

Investigators, however, didn't believe her account and instead suspected that she killed her husband with a kitchen knife before tying herself up to make it appear as though they were attacked by the intruder(s).

Sandra was charged about a year and a half later and her case went to trial in August 2017. The prosecution pointed out contradictions in Sandra's account of what happened and presented evidence that suggested Jaime was already dead when he was restrained.

Additionally, they pointed to Sandra's right hand's clouded fingernail, which was proof that she had cleaned up evidence at the crime scene.

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Sandra Melgar allegedly killed her husband of 32 years and staged the crime scene to make it appear like a home invasion

Prosecutors highlighted Jaime Melgar's big life insurance policy and Sandra Melgar's devotion to Jehovah's Witness as grounds for the murder. A divorce would have made Sandra an outcast since she was a follower of the faith.

They said that she tricked her husband into tying up his legs with a telephone cord as part of some s*x game, and then stabbed him to death with a kitchen knife.

The prosecution claimed that the appearance of a house invasion was staged, citing crime-scene pictures showing drawers that were neatly organized rather than strewn. Moreover, there was no indication of a forced entry. Melgar's defense, however, disputed their assertion that nothing was stolen from the house, given the fact that multiple valuables were missing.

The defense, on the other hand alleged that Sandra Melgar had clean hands, indicating a lack of blood, and that there was no evidence of cleaning the house. Her hands were likewise unscathed, and none of her nails were broken. The male and female DNA samples discovered on door handles and dresser drawer pulls around the house did not match with any members of the Melgar family.

After the disputed trial, Sandra Melgar was convicted of murder and sentenced to 27 years in a state prison and is reportedly serving time at the Carol Young Complex in Dickinson, Texas, to date.

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Dateline: Secrets Uncovered airs on Oxygen this Thursday, December 22, 2022.