On a quiet afternoon in February 2015, a police officer in the small farming town of Goshen, California, walked into his own home and never came out alive. Daniel Green, a 31-year-old veteran of the Exeter Police Department, had been shot multiple times and left dead in his bathtub. The discovery, made by a fellow officer who came to check on him after he missed his shift, would unravel a case built on years of domestic turmoil, a bitter custody fight, and a woman who had once vowed to love him. Daniel Green had grown up in nearby Porterville alongside his identical twin brother, Matthew, and their younger sister, Misty.
Their childhood was marked by neglect and violence. Their stepfather, now deceased, had a long arrest record that included assault, domestic abuse, and drunk driving. Matthew and Misty later described beatings delivered with hands, belts, boards, and whatever else was at hand. The two older brothers often stepped in front of the younger girl, shielding her from the worst of the abuse.
That harsh upbringing gave Daniel a fierce instinct to protect others, but it also left him vulnerable to repeating the patterns he had seen as a child. His siblings would later note that he seemed drawn to drama and tension in his romantic relationships because it felt familiar. At fourteen, Daniel decided he wanted to be a police officer. He followed through on that ambition and, by 2015, had served ten years with the Exeter Police Department.
His co-workers described him as a tough, rule-following officer who took his responsibilities seriously. Away from work, he was more carefree, loved riding motorcycles, and belonged to a local club called Team Flatline, a name that would later carry a dark irony. Erica Sandoval was raised in a close-knit, middle-class family that had moved to Visalia during her high school years. As the only girl, she was doted on by her parents and brothers.
Her family celebrated her fifteenth birthday with a lavish quinceañera, marking her passage into womanhood with pride. She hoped to one day marry and build a family of her own. When Daniel and Erica met in late 2009, they seemed to give each other what they wanted. Daniel, who had a long string of relationships behind him, appeared genuinely taken with her.
Erica was equally swept away by the charming officer, often telling friends about his striking eyes and kind treatment. In less than a year, the couple ran off to Las Vegas to get married. He was twenty-six; she was twenty-three. Erica’s family later hosted a wedding reception, and those present remembered it as a joyful occasion.
The early bliss faded almost immediately. Their fights were extreme and damaging. Erica would slash furniture with razor blades, punch holes in walls, and tear Daniel’s home apart. Friends heard Daniel crying after harsh verbal attacks from his wife, a side of him that shocked those who knew him as a confident officer.
In February 2011, a neighbor, Josh Miller, witnessed a loud argument and said Erica appeared to be yelling at Daniel and trying to push him into hitting her. As a police officer, Daniel knew he could not risk his career by doing so. Police were called, and both were arrested on domestic violence claims, though neither faced charges. The marriage ended in divorce by January 2012.
But the separation did not hold. When Erica revealed she was pregnant with Daniel’s child, the two were pulled back together. Their son, Aiden, was born on January 5, 2013. Matthew later shared that the day Aiden arrived was the happiest of Daniel’s life.
Fatherhood changed him deeply; he even sold his prized motorcycle to focus on being a dad. Yet becoming parents did nothing to heal the relationship. In June 2013, Daniel asked Erica to leave. She agreed but took Aiden with her, leaving Daniel heartbroken and determined to seek custody.
A bitter legal battle followed, filled with hostile text messages that later appeared in court records. Even while fighting in court, the two remained trapped in a harmful cycle, sometimes spending the night together. The abuse did not stop. In the fall of 2014, Daniel told friends he had woken up one night to find Erica holding a gun to his head, warning that she would kill him if he ever left her or was unfaithful.
In January 2015, the former couple came together for Aiden’s second birthday. Daniel’s siblings watched with cautious hope, even noticing Daniel give Erica a kiss on the cheek. Within weeks, that hope vanished. Daniel began seeing another woman and posted a photo of them together on Instagram.
For Erica, that public sign that Daniel had truly moved on became the breaking point. The morning of February 6, 2015, began like any other. Daniel dropped off his two-year-old son at the home of Erica’s mother before heading to the gym. Surveillance video later showed Erica arriving at Daniel’s house shortly after 11:00 a.
m. , with Daniel returning about an hour later. Erica left just before 1:00 p. m.
According to her later statements, she had broken into the home by removing the screen from a kitchen window and climbing inside. She went straight to Daniel’s gun safe, found it open, and took out two loaded firearms. She would later claim she was looking for proof that Daniel was mistreating their child. Prosecutors would argue her intentions were far darker.
When Daniel came home, he went about his usual routine, unaware that someone was waiting inside. As he settled into the bathroom, Erica stepped out of the closet, standing in the doorway with his own gun aimed at him. Daniel was on the toilet, completely exposed and unable to defend himself. Erica fired multiple shots, hitting his hand, chest, neck, and forehead.
The fatal bullet struck him in the head. Daniel stumbled into the bathtub, where Erica fired again, hitting him in the neck and ending his life. She then walked calmly out of the house, taking the gun with her. No neighbors heard the shots, no one called 911, and she escaped with the murder weapon.
When Daniel failed to show up for his shift, his co-workers suspected something was seriously wrong. A fellow officer found his body in the bathroom. The case was handed to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, which arrived at the home at 4:44 p. m.
This was more than a typical homicide; it was the killing of one of their own. Detectives from the sheriff’s department and the Visalia Police Department teamed up to investigate what was becoming one of the county’s most high-profile cases. The idea of a professional hit quickly fell apart. Daniel’s police records showed no obvious enemies and no active cases that would justify such an attack.
Instead, a far more personal pattern emerged. Erica Sandoval’s name kept appearing in years of police reports, domestic disturbance calls, custody battles, and restraining order filings. Forensic experts examined fingerprints, DNA, and trace evidence. The murder weapon was missing, but ballistic specialists determined from the recovered bullets that it had been a 9mm.
Neighborhood canvassing turned up several security cameras, but only one neighbor’s system had captured the day’s events. The footage, with its timestamps, would become the central piece of the case. During her first interview, detectives noticed changing stories and body language that did not match her words. When they showed her the surveillance footage, her demeanor shifted.
Eventually, Erica confessed, admitting to the murder and leading investigators to the empty lot where she had dumped the gun. Recovering the 9mm provided the final piece of physical proof. This was a planned murder carried out by someone who knew Daniel’s routines, had access to his home, and had the intimate knowledge needed to execute such a personal attack. Erica was arrested just over twenty-four hours after the crime was discovered.
Justice, however, would take nearly a decade. Erica’s first-degree murder trial finally began on October 1, 2019. The prosecution, led by Tulare County Assistant District Attorney David Alves, argued that Erica had killed Daniel in a jealous rage after learning about his new relationship. The murder occurred just a week after Daniel posted the Instagram photo with his new girlfriend.
A sticky note found in Erica’s purse contained information about the new woman. In the days leading up to the killing, Erica had called Daniel 167 times, a clear pattern of obsession. The defense took an unusual and risky approach, essentially putting the victim himself on trial. Defense attorney Dan Chambers claimed Daniel had been abusive toward Erica and that her actions were the result of years of mistreatment.
He played recordings of arguments that captured Daniel using harsh language and profanity. The trial reached its most dramatic point when Chambers put Erica on the stand. She recounted numerous instances of alleged abuse and then revealed a story she had never told before. She claimed she had found two photos containing explicit material involving minors in Daniel’s safe, making her fear for her son’s safety.
The prosecution was caught completely off guard. Investigators had conducted a thorough search of Daniel’s belongings and found no such images. Prosecutors rejected the claim as a fabricated excuse. After almost two months of testimony, the case went to the jury on November 20, 2019.
After nearly four days of deliberation, the jury told Judge Joseph Kalashian they could not reach a decision, and a mistrial was declared. A single juror refused to convict Erica of first-degree murder. The eleven jurors who wanted to convict later expressed frustration with the holdout, saying she never explained her reasoning. The mistrial was a crushing blow for Daniel’s family, who had waited nearly five years for justice.
Prosecutors were determined to pursue the case again. Erica’s second trial began on February 6, 2025, exactly ten years to the day after the crime. Jury deliberations started on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. By May 8, the jury returned a verdict, finding Erica Sandoval guilty of first-degree murder, with the special finding that she personally and intentionally fired a gun causing serious injury.
The jury did not find the special circumstance of lying in wait, which meant she could not face the death penalty under California law. On June 5, 2025, Erica Sandoval was sentenced to fifty years to life in prison. The sentencing hearing was emotional. Daniel’s family spoke directly to the woman who had shattered their lives.
Matthew Green, Daniel’s identical twin, who became the legal guardian of Aiden after Erica’s parental rights were ended, told the court, We didn’t lose Daniel. He was taken. He was murdered by Erica for the most repulsive reasons. Her narcissistic and short-sighted decisions will affect us for the rest of our lives.
Under California’s sentencing rules, Erica could qualify for an elder parole hearing once she turns fifty and has served twenty consecutive years. She might be eligible for release in 2037. For Daniel’s family, the possibility that she could one day be free remains a source of ongoing worry and heartache.
A devoted police officer, father, brother, and son had been killed by someone he once loved, inside the place where he should have been safest.