Netflix has just dropped I Am a Killer Season 6, with the first two episodes centering on the truly shocking case of Candie Dominguez and Jose Menchaca, and a murder so gruesome it left detectives “scared.”
The streaming service has become the home to a number of true crime anthology series, from Ryan Murphy’s Monsters dramatizations to Worst Roommate Ever and its recent spinoff, Worst Ex Ever.
I Am a Killer is a documentary series that has found success with viewers thanks to its unrivalled access to convicted murderers. Each episode speaks to the perpetrators from behind bars as they reflect on their crimes, while also featuring testimony from family and friends.
Season 6 does something different to its past chapters, as the first case is explored over two episodes rather than one, allowing the creators to detail the shocking twist that emerged as the investigation unfolded. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
Candie Dominguez and Jose Menchaca case explained
I Am a Killer Season 6 Episode 1, ‘A Mother’s Choice Part 1’, speaks with Candie Dominguez from behind bars. She is imprisoned for assisting her boyfriend Daniel Lopez with the murder of her cousin, Jose Menchaca.
Initially, Candie portrays herself as a victim in this case. Having had a troubled upbringing, she ran away from home in 1987 aged eight, where she became caught up with the Texas Mexican Mafia gang.
When she was just 15 years old, Candie fell pregnant with her first child, and she describes in the true crime doc how her cousin Jose would look out for her and make sure she always had food.
However, their relationship soured after Candie started dating drug dealer and Texas Mexican Mafia member Daniel. She met him not long after escaping a 22-year abusive relationship with a man she had five children with.
“I felt like he was the only thing I could depend on,” she says. Jose started buying drugs from Daniel, but one day he turned up without money, leading to a physical altercation where Jose stabbed Daniel in the back.
According to Candie, this led Daniel to enact a revenge plan to murder Jose. She claims she didn’t want to be involved but that her boyfriend threatened to kill her and her children if she didn’t comply.
On September 29, 2014, Candie claims she was at her house with her kids when Daniel showed up with his cousin and fellow Texas Mexican Mafia member Gabriel Morendo – and they were both “acting crazy.”
She allegedly lured Jose and his girlfriend Sylvia to her house to buy drugs, but instead they were ambushed by Daniel and Gabriel.
Sylvia was tied up and kept hostage in the bathroom while Daniel beat Jose with an aluminum bat before strangling him to death.
When detectives showed up to the property, they immediately noticed the smell of a dead body and found Jose’s remains in a shed in the backyard.
Both Candie and Daniel were brought in for questioning, and initially, Candie wasn’t forthcoming, claiming she was scared for her children’s lives. However, she eventually became a key witness for Daniel’s prosecution.
Daniel was sentenced to life in prison, while Candie got 30 years – the maximum possible sentence for her participation in the crime.
This may come as a shock and make you question why she got such a high prison sentence, but Episode 2 of I Am a Killer Season 6 gives a new perspective on the case.
In 2015, Charles Bunk was brought in to represent Daniel during his trial for Jose’s murder.
After going through the evidence, including countless love letters Candie sent to Jose, he says in the new documentary that they’re both “equally culpable” and that “the whole thing started with Candie being manipulative.”
Showing one of the letters to the camera, Charles reads out her “go-to phrase: ‘ride or die’” and the words “f**k Bonnie and Clyde.” “It’s almost as if she’s saying Bonnie and Clyde got nothing on us,” he comments.
But when it came to the trial, Charles says Candie turned on Daniel to place the blame solely on him. This viewpoint is corroborated by additional testimony in the docu-series.
Sylvia’s mother, Andreana, speaks on behalf of her daughter, who was left too traumatized from the experience to appear on camera.
“I believe Daniel is a very dangerous person but Candie was worse,” she states. “Candie said that she didn’t regret anything. She was bragging about what she did to her own cousin.”
Yvonne Gilkey – Jose’s mom and Candie’s aunt – describes how she initially hoped Candie would help her find Jose, only to receive a call from her sister Cynthia, Candie’s mother, that her niece had murdered her son.
The most eye-opening insights are provided by Anthony Rodriguez, criminal investigator for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, who initially thought Candie had been coerced into being involved in the killing in a bid to protect her children.
But through the investigation, it became clear she was a willing participant. In June 2016, Candie was transferred to Bexar County District Attorney’s Office for questioning, and when asked by Anthony if she’d been forced into the crime, she replied, “No.”
“She immediately goes into this story that I did not expect,” he says. “I was absolutely shocked by it.”
A clip of the interview is then played in which Candie describes what happened after Jose’s murder. She told Daniel he had to do something “because the body smells.”
With a smile on her face, she recalls cutting up the body as if it’s a lighthearted anecdote. Anthony says he was expecting crying and fear but “instead I got this person who had absolutely no remorse.”
Detectives left “scared” by gruesome murder
In I Am A Killer Season 6, both the detectives who dealt with the crime scene and officers who questioned Candie recall their shock over the case, with Anthony Rodriguez expressing that he was “scared” by her lack of emotion.
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The murder itself was brutal, with the Netflix documentary revealing that Jose was beaten over a period of several hours before being choked by Daniel. After this, Candie dismembered him before burning his amputated limbs on a barbecue grill.
Seven days after the attack, police received a tip-off and officers were dispatched to Candie’s home to search it. This included Tre Serrano, retired San Antonio PD, who shares his experience in the docu-series.
When they entered the home, nothing appeared unusual aside from the fact it was clear the house had been cleaned very recently. They headed out to the backyard and that’s when he “smelled the body.”
The detectives went to check the shed and found a Tupperware bin, which they opened to discover a black bag filled with Jose’s remains. “It was horrible, because of just how gruesome and insane that scene was,” he says.
Tre didn’t think it could get any worse – until he opened the barbecue grill to discover a “human bone” inside.
According to Andreana, Sylvia was hog-tied and held captive for 10 days before escaping. During her captivity, Daniel reportedly took Sylvia outside and showed her “Jose’s leg on the barbecue pit” as a means to intimidate her.
For Anthony Rodriguez, one of the most chilling aspects of the case was the fact that three of Candie’s children were in the house when the murder took place.
“We found through the investigation that Candie put all the children into that back bedroom, she turned the TV on, and she told them not to leave,” he says.
The scene then cuts to footage of police speaking with Candie’s 10-year-old daughter for the initial investigation. She described how she heard someone screaming, “Help me,” she saw blood in her mom’s room the next day, and she saw blood on Daniel’s clothes.
“It was heartbreaking because this is not what a child should have to be dealing with when they’re at home,” says Anthony.
Later in the I Am a Killer Season 6 episode, while discussing Candie’s interview, the criminal investigator says Candie was “on the verge of bragging about what occurred to her own cousin.
“There was clearly something there that made her want to say, ‘Look, this is who I am. This is what I did.’ Quite frankly, she scared me… Candie Dominguez is part of the Mexican Mafia lifestyle.
“In her interview, she went as far as to explain that she disposed of body parts for cartels in Mexico. And this is not a lifestyle that is easily rehabilitated from… Candie Dominguez 100% is still a dangerous individual.”
Where are Candie Dominguez and Daniel Lopez now?
Candie Dominguez, now 45 years old, is currently incarcerated at the William P. Hobby Unit women’s prison in Texas. Daniel Lopez, meanwhile, is 38 years old and is currently at the John B. Connally Unit maximum-security prison for men in Texas.
As discussed, Candie received a lighter sentence than her partner. As per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, her projected release date is October 5, 2044.
Although Daniel was handed a life sentence, he’s said to be eligible for parole in the same month and year.
As for Gabriel Moreno, Daniel’s cousin who was involved in the murder, his trial ended in a hung jury and he was acquitted of all charges.
Who are the Texas Mexican Mafia?
Mexikanemi, also known as the Texas Mexican Mafia, is a Mexican-American prison and street gang established in 1984.
Separate from the original California Mexican Mafia, this gang engages in a number of criminal acts including drug trafficking and money laundering.
Anthony Rodriguez, who also serves as the gang investigator for the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, explains in I Am a Killer Season 6 that the criminal organization has been rooted in the San Antonio area since its inception.
“They operate off of the I-35 corridor, a highway which runs from Mexico all the way up to Canada. And that’s a major route for drugs, for human trafficking,” he explains. “Because of that, they’ve actually declared San Antonio as their capital.”
According to the gang’s constitution: “The President and Vice-President are responsible for everything that occurs within Mexikanemi.
“Despite the fact that the President and the Vice-President hold the highest positions in Mexikanemi, they also have the obligation of likewise serving and obeying all of the rules as any other soldier or brother. We are all Mexikans, and we are all equal.”
Members of Mexikanemi are often identified by their distinctive tattoos, which serve as a form of allegiance to the gang.
These tattoos typically include imagery such as the gang’s name or variations of it, an eagle holding a serpent reflecting their Mexican heritage, or variations of the number 13, as M is the 13th letter in the alphabet.
The group is committed to obtaining its funding from any means possible, as is stated in the constitution: “Being a criminal organization we work in any criminal aspect or interest for the benefit and advancement of Mexikanemi.
“We shall deal in drugs, contract killing, large scale robbery, gambling, weapons and in everything imaginable.”
I Am a Killer Season 6 is streaming on Netflix now. For more true crime news, read about if there’ll be a Natalia Grace Season 4, when to expect the new Ruby Franke docu-series, and the top true crime docs of 2024.
