NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA

John L. Brownlee
United States Attorney
Heidi Coy
Public Affairs Specialist BB&T Building
310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906
Roanoke, Virginia 24011
(540) 857-2250
FAX (540) 857-2180

February 13, 2007

FORMER LEE COUNTY INMATE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER

United States Attorney John L. Brownlee announced today that Carlos Caro, age 39, formerly a prisoner at the United States Penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia, will receive the death penalty for the first degree murder of his cell mate. A jury sitting in United States District Court in Abingdon deliberated two and a half hours before reaching the unanimous decision. Caro was convicted of first degree murder on February 1, 2007. Caro is the first person to be sentenced to death by a federal jury in the Western District of Virginia in modern times.

“Mr. Caro continues to commit violent crimes even while incarcerated. The jury agreed that Mr. Caro had to be punished for this crime and that more prison time was not a deterrent for Mr. Caro.” said United States Attorney John Brownlee.

According to evidence presented by United States Attorney John Brownlee and Assistant United States Attorney Tony Giorno, on December 17, 2003, Caro strangled his cell mate, Robert Sandoval with a bath towel. The evidence showed that on December 16, 2003, Caro, who was in a cell alone, was informed he was getting a cell mate. Caro told the guard that he would not take a cell mate. Robert Sandoval was instead placed in a cell next to Caro’s. At approximately 6pm that evening, Sandoval asked if he could cell with Caro. Caro agreed to accept Sandoval as a cell mate. Less than 24 hours after Sandoval was placed in the cell with Caro, Caro strangled Sandoval with a bath towel.

Caro told an FBI agent that he had killed Sandoval because Caro had eaten Sandoval’s breakfast earlier that morning, and Sandoval cursed Caro and promised to eat his breakfast the next morning. Caro admitted placing a towel around Sandoval’s neck and killing him. Caro later told his wife that he had killed Sandoval because Sandoval disrespected him.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Board of Prisons, SIS. United States Attorney John Brownlee and Assistant United States Attorney Tony Giorno prosecuted the case.

Caro will be formally sentenced on March 9, 2007 at 2pm.