Sandra Barajas' crime - A detailed case overview

Oxygen's Snapped re-aired the episode on Sandra Barajas on July 28, 2025. Originally aired on August 20, 2017, the episode follows the case of a violent home invasion on February 13, 2013, in Colorado Springs, and the murder of Miguel "Mike" Barajas in the incident.

However, what was in the beginning reported as a gruesome home invasion quickly evolved into something more sinister. It was discovered that the incident was not a simple home invasion but a calculated and orchestrated crime, which involved close family members of the victim.

---

A violent home invasion was reported by Dawn Richburg, the stepdaughter of the victim

Sandra Barajas' crimes explored in Snapped (Image via Getty)

On February 13, 2013, Dawn Richburg called 911 to report a home invasion and a murder. When the Colorado Springs authorities reached the scene of the crime in the quiet neighborhood of Security-Widefield, they found that the Barajas' home had been burglarized and Mike Barajas was dead. He had been fatally shot in the bedroom at his residence on Judson Street.

The caller, Dawn Richburg, was the 33-year-old stepdaughter of the 47-year-old Mike. She reported that she had returned to find their house burglarized and her stepfather dead.

However, while the crime appeared to be a burglary at first glance, deeper investigations revealed that there was more to it than met the eye. The incident was meticulously planned and executed by Miguel's wife and Drew's biological mother, Sandra Marion Barajas.

She had orchestrated the crime along with her daughter, Dawn Richburg, and a man named Tommy Wright.

---

Sandra Barajas was behind the home invasion and murder

It was discovered that Sandra had staged the break-in as an attempt to throw off investigators. Forensic evidence eventually revealed Sandra's involvement, and this led to arrests that shocked the small community of Colorado Springs.

Investigators with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sandra Barajas, her daughter Dawn Richburg, and the 34-year-old Tommy Wright, who was a mutual acquaintance of the two women.

It was Wright who ultimately confessed to shooting Miguel Barajas, implicating both Sandra and Dawn.

It was concluded that Sandra and her daughter had enlisted Wright to carry out the killing on their behalf, and they had set up and planned the staged home invasion. Although the motive for the crimes was never fully disclosed, it appeared to be rooted in financial issues and familial tension.

It was discovered that in 2011, Sandra and Miguel Barajas had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which suggested that there was a possible financial strain that may have been the reason behind the incident.

---

Trial and conviction

Sandra Barajas, Dawn Richburg, and Tommy Wright were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and criminal solicitation. Wright was already in custody in Douglas County on unrelated charges at that time, and he was later transferred to the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center.

Sandra Barajas was convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and accessory to murder, and in 2017, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Dawn Richburg accepted a plea deal and admitted to being guilty of second-degree murder, for which she received a reduced sentence of 45 years.

---

Sandra Barajas' case has been featured in season 21, episode 3 of Oxygen’s true crime series Snapped, which originally aired in August 2017. It was re-aired on July 28 and is now also available to stream on Peacock.

Edited by Prem Deshpande