Sebastiani Theatre owner Roger Rhoten has established a fund for the six-year-old daughter of Zoila Echeverria, who was stabbed to death on Feb. 19, 2005 in Glen Ellen. Echeverria, who was 20 at the time, had worked for the theater as well as for the Ranch House.
“She was a wonderful person, a hard-working young lady who was very outgoing,” said Rhoten, “I cared for her a lot and she is missed by all of her family.”
Rhoten has already raised several thousand dollars, some of which helped pay burial and other expenses. Now the focus is on scholarship funding.
“It’s good to remind people of this” tragedy, he said. “After a while, people tend to forget.”
On Monday, Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced that convicted murderer Jesus Giron Sanchez was sentenced to 16 years to life for the crime. Last month, Sanchez pled guilty to second degree murder and admitted to personally using a deadly weapon. He killed Echeverria as the pair attended a party and later blamed his actions on drugs and alcohol.
Sanchez was sentenced to the maximum term by Superior Court Judge Lawrence G. Antolini and will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 16 years in prison.
• Donations to the Betsy Echeverria Fund can be sent to the Sonoma Valley Bank, 202 West Napa St., P. O. Box 1228, Sonoma 95476. Contributions to the fund can also be made at the theater at 476 First St. East. For more information, contact Roger Rhoten at (707) 996-9756.
