Sandra Blanding

Sandra Blanding was a 39-year-old Black woman remembered by her loved ones as kind, humble, and generous. A mother of three daughters, she was described by her family as a shining light who was always there for everybody. “She would literally give the clothes off her back to help somebody,” one of her daughters recalled. Her sister called her “humble, noble, and the last of the old school.”

On the morning of March 19, 2025, Sandra’s life was cut short in Rochester, New York. Around 7 a.m., police responding to a report of an unresponsive person found her on the sidewalk on Spencer Street, near a vacant house. She had been shot multiple times in her upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators believed she had been shot at least 30 minutes before her body was discovered.

The Rochester Police Department investigation moved quickly. Two days after the shooting, on March 21, officers located a suspect in the Mount Hope Avenue area. The man, 19-year-old Dhymere Bailey, attempted to flee but was quickly taken into custody. Police found him in possession of a loaded handgun, which they believed was the weapon used to kill Sandra. According to authorities, the victim and the suspect did not know each other, and a motive was not revealed.

Bailey was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. At his arraignment in Rochester City Court, he pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail. Sandra's family was present in the courtroom, and her mother expressed that the arrest was the first step toward justice. While the legal process began, loved ones held a vigil at the scene, lighting candles to honor the woman they cherished.

In June 2026, Dhymere Bailey, then 20, changed his plea. In Monroe County Court, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. An assistant district attorney stated that the plea held Bailey accountable for his "heartless murder" and spared Sandra’s loved ones the pain of a trial.

In August 2026, a judge sentenced Dhymere Bailey to 25 years to life in prison.