Controlling boyfriend lies to cover up deadly assault on girlfriend
A violent man who tried to spin a web of lies to dodge blame for his girlfriend’s fatal injuries has been convicted of her murder.
Holly Sanchez’s tragic death in Crawley
Holly Sanchez was found dead in a Crawley home on the morning of 13 May 2023. Her boyfriend, Ryan Evans, called 999 claiming Holly was alive when he went to bed but was unresponsive when he woke up.
Evans told shocking fibs to mask the truth. He said Holly had taken prescription drugs, fallen over in town, and even insisted she was attacked by strangers — all to smear her and deflect suspicion.
Brutal injuries revealed in post-mortem
The post-mortem showed Holly suffered horrific injuries. Her brain trauma was so severe it could only have come from a car crash, a fall from height, or a brutal assault.
- Five fractured ribs
- Severe damage to her left lung
- Complications leading to pneumonia – the official cause of death
Police faced victim’s denials amid vicious domestic abuse
Evans’ reign of terror was hidden in plain sight. Police made several attempts to arrest him, but Holly repeatedly denied the assaults and begged officers not to arrest him — a common pattern in domestic abuse victims.
Less than a month before her death, Holly bravely told police Ryan had put out a cigarette on her face and had been stealing money from her bank account. Terrified for her life, she later tried to retract her statement, claiming she’d fallen out of a car.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) explained the false denials and retractions to the jury, showing they were a result of Evans’ cruel coercive control, and crucially, these retractions strengthened the case against him.
CPS statement: Justice for Holly
Ryan Richter, CPS South East, said: “Ryan Evans engaged in a relationship with Holly Sanchez where he sought to control and coerce her. He regularly subjected Holly to violence during their short time together and inflicted the injuries that killed her just days before her death.”
“Despite his lies designed to smear Holly and evade responsibility, we proved to the jury that Evans was her killer by piecing together events from the weeks leading up to her death.
“Holly’s brave confession about the physical violence she endured was vital in bringing her killer to justice. Our thoughts are with her friends and family at this difficult time.”
