Oxnard Man Turns Himself In for Fatal Hit and Run in Montecito

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced Tuesday that murder suspect, Jose Roberto MunozSanchez, 39 of Oxnard, turned himself in at the U.S. – Mexico border and was subsequently apprehended by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office filed a complaint last year, charging MunozSanchez with the First Degree Murder of his wife, Blanca Aguilera, in violation of Penal Code section 187, murder.

The crime occurred on September 29, 2022, in Montecito. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives responded to the 800 block of East Mountain Drive after neighbors reported hearing a woman screaming around 5:30 a.m.

When deputies arrived, they found a woman who was seriously injured, lying in the roadway. The vehicle that struck the woman had fled the area prior to deputies’ arrival.

The woman, later identified as Aguilera, was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage hospital where she died of her injuries at approximately 7:45 p.m.

Detectives believed the woman was intentionally struck by the driver of the vehicle and began investigating this as a homicide.

Later the County District Attorney’s Office formally charged against Aguilera’s estranged husband, MunozSanchez, with murder although he could not be located at the time.

MunozSanchez appeared in court on October 23, 2023, before Judge Thomas Adams in Department 8 of the Santa Barbara Superior Court.

During this court appearance, bail was set at $2 million dollars. The arraignment was continued to October 30, 2023, at 1:30 p.m.

An online fundraiser through GoFundMe has been created by Aguilera’s friends and family to help cover funeral expenses and support her three children ages 8, 12, and 16.

“She worked long days and late nights to provide for her children,” the fundraiser states, explaining her husband passed away eight years ago due to cancer.

The fundraising page also states Aguilera was kidnapped by her ex while leaving work late at night and was found the next morning, although this has yet to be confirmed by investigators.

Donations can still be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/blanca-aguilera

September 29, 2022: Detectives Investigate Hit and Run Homicide