A judge on Friday postponed plea and bond hearings for Rachel Leonard, the Cortez woman charged with first-degree murder in the March 2022 death of her 5-year-old daughter, Annika Sandoval. The defense requested more time for mental health evaluations before entering a plea.
“We are in the process of getting a couple of experts,” Colorado Public Defender John Moran told the court.
“I do not, at this point, think Ms. Leonard is insane for lack of an imprecise term,” Moran said, adding the assessments are precautionary to support possible legal arguments. He said arranging evaluations and securing state funding takes time.
Retired District Judge Douglas Walker, filling in for Chief Judge Todd Plewe, agreed to continue the hearing for 60 days after Moran said his team was scheduling evaluations with University of Colorado experts.
Leonard, 38, was charged Aug. 22 after a grand jury indictment alleged she intentionally killed Annika on March 29, 2022.
Deputies were called to the family home about 10:30 a.m. that day and found the child unresponsive on the bedroom floor. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Leonard was found “crying and speaking incoherently.” Emergency personnel said she was “not acting normal” and unhelpful during transport, though they did not suspect drugs or alcohol.
Leonard’s attorneys argued her innocence at an October hearing and said they intend to show it in court. But after prosecutors disclosed nearly 3,000 pages of discovery, including grand jury transcripts, they said they need time to review everything.
“So you are not, at this time, entering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity?” Walker asked.
Moran responded that they weren’t, saying he did not want to enter a plea “if, for some reason, it were to change” after expert review.
District Attorney Jeremy Reed did not object to the delay. “The people certainly do not want an issue where we force a plea early,” he said, noting he had explained that position to the girl’s father, Brian Sandoval, and his family.
Moran stressed the urgency of lowering Leonard’s $2 million bond. In October, her attorneys called the amount “essentially a no-bond order” because her parents cannot afford it. Moran argued Leonard has minimal criminal history, strong family ties in Cortez and is not a flight risk. She remains in the Montezuma County Detention Center.
Reed opposed the reduction, arguing Leonard would return to the home where the alleged crime occurred and live with potential witnesses ahead of trial. He said the bond complies with Colorado law.
Plewe denied the defense’s motion in October, saying he wanted time to review all submitted material before ruling.
Walker said setting a bond hearing sooner was not possible while Plewe is gone for December for personal and medical reasons. “It’s not like we can just set the bond hearing for next week,” Walker said. “I am sorry Judge Plewe can’t be here today… It’s not directed at you.”
Moran argued that continuing the bond question until January could be devastating for the family. He said the defense views the state’s evidence as containing “real issues with the facts of the case.”
“We have a situation where there is no manner and no cause of death,” Moran said.
The judge acknowledged the interest in the case, noting a strong presence from both Leonard’s and Brian Sandoval’s families in court Friday.
“A lot of people are interested in this case and for very good reason,” Walker said, while determining Plewe would make the bond ruling.
“I am sorry we did not get everything accomplished,” Walker said, “but I think you will have a better quality hearing in front of Judge Plewe.”
A bond hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 16, and the plea hearing for Feb. 13 at 9:30 a.m.
The case was filed three years after Annika’s death, and the state is pursuing a first-degree murder charge despite medical findings listing the cause and manner of death as “undetermined.” The defense has argued this presents “real issues with the facts of the case.”
Nearly all available details come from the Aug. 22 grand jury indictment, which outlines the prosecution’s account, medical summaries and digital evidence used to establish probable cause.
County Coroner George Deavers and pathologist Dr. Michael Arnall conducted the autopsy hours after Annika was found dead. The indictment says the examination found “mild cerebral edema,” or swelling in the brain, but no trauma, drowning, obstruction, food allergy or disease to explain her death. Arnall listed the cause and manner of death as “undetermined.”
Deavers testified there were no signs of suffocation. However, “he further stated that if a person is unconscious or passed out, someone could put a pillow over their face and there would be no signs of suffocation, except some cerebral edema,” the indictment said. He initially considered choking on vomit but ruled it out after finding no obstruction in the esophagus.
The indictment says Leonard and Brian Sandoval, who lived in Montrose, met in Telluride for custody exchanges. It notes Rachel expressed frustration in text messages that weekend after the father introduced Annika to his girlfriend for the first time.
Family members told investigators Leonard experienced insomnia, that they kept serious medications locked up, and that no Tylenol was kept in the house, but Rachel might have taken it to help with sleep. In the indictment, Leonard was described as upset after returning from Telluride and quoted as saying she wanted Annika’s father “to die,” adding, when challenged, “No … but why would he do this to me?”
The indictment also cites Google searches recovered from Leonard’s phone, including “will 150 500 mg Tylenol pm overdose?” on March 23, 2022, and “how long does it take to suffocate” on March 27. Investigators said the user viewed an online forum discussing suffocation with a pillow, including a post stating that “to be on the safe side, about five minutes” would be required.
