25 Years To Life: Escondido Man Sentenced In 'Fight To Death'

ESCONDIDO, CA – A 20-year-old Escondido man who killed a friend after challenging him to a fight in a park, then posted audio on a social media site of the victim crying during the attack, was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years to life in state prison.

Salvador Sanchez was convicted last month of first-degree murder in the April 2017 beating death of 20-year-old Maithem Alfuraiji. The same jury found Sanchez was sane at the time of the killing.

Escondido police Detective Greg Gay said friends of the two young men were alarmed by postings on the defendant's Snapchat account on April 27, 2017, in which Sanchez can be heard telling the victim "tell them what you did."

Police said Sanchez dressed in all white and lured Alfuraiji to Mountain View Park, and later challenged the victim to a "fight to the death."

Sanchez told police he targeted the victim because Alfuraiji was "making decisions and meeting with people" that put everyone they knew in danger.

Friends eventually called police about what they saw on Snapchat and Sanchez led them to Alfuraiji's body on the Rincon Indian Reservation in Valley Center.

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---City News Service/Shutterstock image