Oscar Rene Sandoval on trial for murdering mother of his children in Mesilla

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Oscar Rene Sandoval, the Mesilla man accused of murdering the mother of his children, was on trial in Las Cruces today.

Court records show that the jury trial is happening in Judge Douglas R. Driggers court.

A Grand Jury indicted Sandoval on a first degree murder charge April 16, 2024. The alleged murder happened on April 1, 2024.

ABC-7 spoke to the children of Sandoval and the victim, Sheireen Aljibury, in the days after Al-Jibury's death.

"My heart dropped," Ethan Sandoval, 19, said at the time. "It dropped in the aspect, like, they found him... at the same time, I was feeling happy. I was feeling disgusted. I was feeling sad. Just every emotion I could, I was feeling."

In the days after the killing, U.S. Marshals searched for Sandoval in and around Mesilla. He was eventually apprehended in Mexico and turned back over to U.S. officials.

Police told ABC-7 in 2024 that 39-year-old Aljibury was shot and killed on University Ave. near Zia Middle School.