DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin announced last week that a Des Plaines man charged with stabbing his former girlfriend to death in 2017 has been sentenced to 45 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Victor Tornez-Sanchez, 29, formerly of Des Plaines, appeared at his sentencing hearing, where Judge John Kinsella handed down the sentence.
On June 18, 2017, at approximately 9:26 p.m., the Bensenville Police Department received a call regarding a stabbing victim at 713 Parkside Lane. Upon their arrival, officers found Olivia Renteria-Bravo, 32, unresponsive and lying in a pool of blood, approximately ten feet away from the building. Renteria-Bravo appeared to have been stabbed at least three times, once in her chest, once in her right side and once in her right bicep. Renteria-Bravo was immediately transported to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital where she passed away as a result of her injuries.
An investigation into the murder led authorities to her former boyfriend, Victor Tornez-Sanchez as the murderer. The investigation found that on June 18, 2017, Tornez-Sanchez waited in a vehicle outside Renteria-Bravo’s home for her to return from a date with her new boyfriend. After Renteria-Bravo was dropped off in front of her building, Tornez-Sanchez ran towards her, stabbed her three times, ran back to his vehicle and fled the scene.
Tornez-Sanchez was taken into custody the following day in Elgin. He has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail on bond of $2.5 million with 10% to apply. On May 24, 2019, Tornez-Sanchez entered a plea of guilty to one count of First Degree Murder.
“June 18, 2017 is a day I’m sure the family and friends of Olivia Renteria-Bravo will never forget,” Berlin said. “That was the day Victor Tornez-Sanchez brutally stabbed to death his former girlfriend and mother of his child. While Mr. Tornez-Sanchez took responsibility for the murder, the fact remains that Olivia is gone forever because of his actions. The hole in the hearts of those who loved Olivia will never be filled but with today’s sentence of 45 years perhaps those who loved Olivia will be able to go on with their lives knowing that the man responsible for her murder will spend the next four and one-half decades behind bars.”
