Haltom City woman found guilty, sentenced to 35 years for 2018 road rage killing
.jpg "A 30-year-old North Texas woman was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday for a fatal road rage shooting in 2018.")
A Haltom City woman who was convicted of killing a 33-year-old mother in a 2018 road rage shooting was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday, according to court records.
A jury found Lyneisha McCuin, 30, guilty of murder Tuesday in the August 2018 shooting death of Claudia Sanchez. Her attorneys have already filed notice that they will appeal, according to court records.
The driver of the Fiat that Sanchez was riding in got into an argument with McCuin the afternoon of Aug. 25, 2018, in Haltom City. It’s unclear what the argument was about, but police said the driver threw a metal object, possibly a lug nut, at McCuin. She pulled out a handgun and fired one shot into the Fiat, hitting Sanchez in the head.
Sanchez died from her injuries the following day.
McCuin was arrested and initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charge was upgraded to manslaughter after Sanchez died and upgraded again to murder before the trial.
During a candlelight vigil to honor Sanchez on Aug. 29, 2018, the victim’s brother, Rudy Espinoza, said the manslaughter charge against McCuin wasn’t sufficient to deter others who might commit the same crime.
“This is a senseless crime,” Espinoza said. “I think the charge of manslaughter needs to be upgraded. If there’s a stiffer penalty people might think twice before they pull out that gun.”
The trial, which began March 21, was held in Tarrant County’s 372nd District Court.
