Decades Later, Man Accused of Killing Bouncer to Face Judge

A Dominican man accused of fatally shooting a bouncer in Boston over two decades ago was set to face a judge Monday, days after being extradited back to the United States. 

William Sanchez, 46, will face first-degree murder charges in the death of Jorge Medina, who was working as a bouncer at a house party in Dorchester in 1995 when he was shot.

"He had a son that didn't even have the opportunity to meet his father," said the victim's niece, Marilyn Reyes. "My uncle didn't have the opportunity to be a father, to meet his first and only child. And then he was just taken away."

Sanchez was sought in the aftermath of the shooting, but fled the country before he could be indicted. He was returned to Boston on Friday, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins announced in a statement on Sunday.

"When a homicide occurs families are forever altered. Honoring the legacy of those whose lives were taken requires a relentless pursuit of justice," Rollins said in the statement. "Our office is committed to that mission and will be with the Medina family each step of this difficult process."

"I need him to know that he changed our lives," Reyes said. "He took somebody that was loved dearly."

The case began on October 8, 1995 at a home on Norwell Street in Dorchester, when police say they responded to a call and found Medina had been shot in the back. Medina was brought to Boston Medical Center, but pronounced dead a little after 4 a.m.

Police found that Medina had been a bouncer for a house party that night, where he removed Sanchez, according to the DA. A few minutes later, Sanchez came back and shot at Medina and another man as they walked back to the house.

Sanchez, who was also known as Wilman Soto at the time, had been living in Hyde Park but fled the area before could police could find him. He first fled to New York City before making his way to the Dominican Republic, Rollins said.

In 2015, an extradition treaty was signed with the Dominican Republic for Sanchez to be returned to Boston. Several years passed befrore he could be found and his identity confirmed.

"I want to thank the US Department of Justice and the agencies involved in extraditing Mr. Sanchez back to Boston to face the charges that were filed against him in 1995," Rollins said.

Sanchez will be arraigned in the Magistrate’s Session of Suffolk Superior Court.