SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –On February 19, 2026, United States District Court Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón sentenced Joseph Payne Pabón to life in prison for a federal crime that arose from the carjacking-murder of Eulalia Combas-Sancho, an 82-year-old retired professor, on January 7, 2020, in the municipality of San Juan.
On June 20, 2025, a jury determined, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial, that Joseph Payne Pabón, a 33-year-old homeless man, entered the home of Eulalia Combas Sancho with the intent to take her Hyundai Sonata vehicle. The defendant found the victim in her backyard weeding. In order to take her vehicle, Payne-Pabón hit her the back of the head with a cement block causing multiple injuries that resulted in her death. Payne-Pabón had an extensive criminal history and had been in prison multiple times.
“This life sentence rightly holds the defendant responsible for the pain and suffering he inflicted on his victim and her family,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Anyone who commits cold-blooded crimes of violence in violation of federal law will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the Justice Department and this office. I commend the agents and officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, the Puerto Rico Police Department, and federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the tireless efforts and outstanding work, from the beginning of the investigation of the carjacking and murder of the victim to the sentencing.”
“Yesterday’s life sentence imposed on violent criminal and murderer Joseph Payne-Pabón represents the only just outcome and brings a measure of closure to the victim’s family and loved ones. ATF Puerto Rico remains steadfast in its commitment to investigating violent crime throughout Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands and has a long and distinguished record of bringing dangerous offenders like Payne-Pabón to justice in federal court,” said Jason Stankiewicz, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Miami Field Division. “I commend the dedicated ATF Special Agents and Task Force Officers, including our partners from the Puerto Rico Police Department, as well as the prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office, for their outstanding work over the course of several years. Their unwavering commitment and tireless efforts were instrumental in securing this conviction. In 2025, following extensive trial proceedings, a jury of Payne-Pabon’s peers returned a guilty verdict, leading to yesterday’s sentence and ensuring accountability under the law.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with the assistance of the Puerto Rico Police Department, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, and the Puerto Rico Institute of Forensic Sciences. The FBI also collaborated in the analysis of phone location data, and the citizens of Puerto Rico provided information that secured the conviction and sentence of this individual.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeanette Collazo, Chief of the Violent Crimes and National Security Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney César Rivera-Díaz prosecuted the case.
