Coachella Valley man sentenced to life without parole for stabbing wife, her companion to death outside Palm Desert hotel in 2022
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ)A Coachella Valley man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2022 murders of his wife and another man outside a Palm Desert hotel.
Kenny Wu, 37, was sentenced in Indio after a jury convicted him in February of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Yaying Wu, 31, of Palm Desert, and Jesus Sanchez, 30, of Cathedral City.
The jury also found true special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait — findings that made Wu ineligible for anything but life without parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors did not seek death.
The killings happened July 15, 2022, in the parking lot of the SpringHill Suites on Highway 111 in Palm Desert. Prosecutors said Wu tracked his wife's movements, discovered she planned to meet Sanchez at the hotel, and was waiting when they arrived. Wu stabbed both victims multiple times. Yaying Wu was killed as well, though the jury found the lying-in-wait allegation true only as to Sanchez.
Prosecutors described Wu as a cold, calculated killer pointing to video evidence showing him stalking the victims, standing over them after the initial attack, surveying his surroundings, and resuming the assault. Prosecutors also said Wu lied on the stand and shifted blame to his victims, and noted Yaying Wu attempted to shield Sanchez during the attack.
Wu inflicted superficial wounds on himself after the killings, apparently to suggest he had been in a struggle. He was arrested at the scene.
In court Friday, Sanchez's family delivered victim impact statements. His father, Jesus Sanchez Sr., described a son who supported his mother, sister, and nephews, and condemned Wu for choosing violence. Sanchez's sister, Gabby, told the court her brother had been weeks away from moving to Cancun for a fresh start and that Wu could have simply walked away.
Defense attorney John Dolan asked the court to act as a "thirteenth juror" and reduce the charges to voluntary manslaughter or second-degree murder, arguing Wu had been driven to a heat-of-passion response by months of infidelity. The court denied the motion.
Wu was also ordered to serve a two-year determinate sentence stemming from knife enhancement findings on both counts before the life sentences take effect.
The court set restitution at $3,072.12 to Ana Maria Guerrero for costs related to Sanchez's burial and transportation, and $7,310 to the California Victim Compensation Board for funeral expenses. Additional restitution for Yaying Wu's family was not determined at Friday's hearing.
Wu had no prior felony convictions. His defense confirmed it intends to appeal.
This article will be updated with additional info as it becomes available.
