BUCKEYE, AZ — An 18-year-old Arizona man was charged with first-degree murder after allegedly shooting and killing his pregnant 16-year-old ex-girlfriend and their unborn child outside a Buckeye home Thursday night, police said.
Michael Sanchez is accused of fatally shooting Rylee Montgomery and injuring two of her friends — a pregnant 17-year-old and a 22-year-old woman — during what investigators described as a domestic violence attack following their March breakup. Sanchez was ordered held without bond at his initial court appearance Friday after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, endangerment and interference with a monitoring device. The shooting occurred around 8:15 p.m. Thursday in the Westpark neighborhood near Elwood Street and 257th Lane, according to the Buckeye Police Department.
Montgomery died at the scene from gunshot wounds, while her two friends were rushed to local hospitals in critical condition. The 17-year-old victim, who was also pregnant, delivered her baby Thursday night at 25 weeks gestation, according to Montgomery’s stepmother Amy Montgomery. The premature infant, weighing just one pound, is fighting for his life in the hospital. Witnesses reported seeing two men fleeing the scene before officers arrived. Sanchez was taken into custody early Friday morning at an Avondale home with assistance from U.S. Marshals and Avondale police following a SWAT situation. “She saw the good in everybody and had a heart of gold,” Amy Montgomery said of her stepdaughter.
According to court records and police statements, Sanchez had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Montgomery and was the father of her unborn child. Amy Montgomery told investigators that Sanchez had threatened to kill Rylee “numerous times” and became physically abusive after she broke up with him in March. “Once he got her pregnant in February, it was all over,” Amy Montgomery wrote on a GoFundMe page established for the family. “After telling her to ‘kill the baby,’ and when she refused, he turned his anger on her. He even went so far as to choke her at our house.” The stepmother alleged that when Montgomery tried to end the relationship, Sanchez “decided to point a gun at her face and told her she wasn’t allowed.” Family members contacted Buckeye and Avondale police multiple times regarding Sanchez’s threatening behavior, according to Amy Montgomery.
The day before the shooting, Sanchez allegedly sent Montgomery a threatening message along with a disturbing image. “He sent her a picture of himself with a gun pointed at his head and a text telling her, ‘I’m going to get you and then I’m going to take care of myself,'” Amy Montgomery told Arizona Family. “So, she called Avondale police and told them, added it to the report and that was the last I heard from her. And then three hours later, she was gone.” At the time of the shooting, Sanchez was wearing an ankle monitor stemming from a March incident where police said he fled from officers and crashed his car after a road rage incident, reaching speeds over 100 miles per hour. He had been released on his own recognizance despite facing DUI charges from that earlier case.
Montgomery was 14 weeks pregnant with a baby girl at the time of her death, though she never learned the gender of her unborn child. Her family had planned a gender reveal party for June 7 to share the news with Montgomery posthumously. “She did not know it was a baby girl. We’re going to have a gender reveal on the 7th of June to tell her,” Amy Montgomery said. Montgomery’s brother, Cody Allen Montgomery, described his sister as “a wonderful sister, a bright light, and a soul taken from us completely unfair and too soon.” The teenager loved animals, makeup and the beach, according to family members. Amy Montgomery expressed frustration with law enforcement’s response to the family’s previous reports about Sanchez’s threats, saying they felt police did little to protect her stepdaughter.
Commissioner Genene Dyer denied Sanchez bail during his initial court appearance, noting he was already on release for the prior felony case. Dyer scheduled an evidentiary hearing for May 22 to discuss his bond eligibility. Buckeye Police spokesperson Carissa Planalp confirmed that investigators are still working to determine the involvement, if any, of the second person seen leaving the scene Thursday night. The case involves multiple felony charges including two counts of first-degree murder related to both Montgomery’s death and the death of her unborn child. Arizona law recognizes the killing of an unborn child as a separate murder charge when the fetus has developed beyond the embryonic stage. Sanchez’s case will likely proceed through the Maricopa County Superior Court system, where first-degree murder charges can carry sentences ranging from life in prison to the death penalty.
The shooting has devastated Montgomery’s family, who are dealing with additional hardships including the hospitalization of Montgomery’s mother following a car crash earlier this month. “It’s like somebody ripped my freaking heart out,” Amy Montgomery said. “She was so scared of him, and we tried to get her help.” The stepmother believes Sanchez specifically targeted both Montgomery and her pregnant friend, saying he “hated” the 17-year-old victim because she had tried to break up the couple. “I definitely think he went there with full intention on killing both and Rylee,” Amy Montgomery said. The GoFundMe established for the family aims to help cover funeral expenses and support Montgomery’s mother during her recovery. Amy Montgomery expressed hope that prosecutors will seek the maximum penalties against Sanchez, though she acknowledged that no sentence could bring back her stepdaughter.
The investigation remains ongoing as Buckeye police work to piece together the complete sequence of events and determine whether additional charges will be filed. Sanchez remains in Maricopa County jail awaiting his May 22 bond hearing, while the two surviving victims continue their recovery in critical condition.
Was he an illegal alien?