Killer of Worcester educator Sandra Hehir pleads guilty, sentenced to 17-19 years

WORCESTER - A man formerly charged with murder in the 2017 strangling death of Sandra “Buffy” Hehir, a beloved city educator, was sentenced to 17 to 19 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Jose Melendez, also known as Jose Segura and Jose Alvarado, received the sentence following a hearing in which family members and friends mourned Hehir as a kind, compassionate person beloved by students.

“Buffy was a dreamer, a strong soul, and went through life with a smile on her face,” the woman’s sister, one of three people to give statements regarding the Claremont Academy educator, recalled.

The sister, who gave only her first name, Susan, described Hehir as a thoughtful, dependable, brave and hardworking person who taught her students about the importance of kindness.

Hehir’s niece, who gave her first name as MacKenzie, said she believes her aunt’s kindness was so vast that she would have extended it to Melendez, saying she was forgiving him for that reason.

Melendez, who listened Wednesday with the aid of a Spanish interpreter, admitted to voluntary manslaughter Wednesday, avoiding a murder trial that had been slated for later this month.

Prosecutors said Hehir’s family members and friends - many of whom were in the courtroom Wednesday - were aware of the plea terms and supported them.

Hehir, 49, was found dead of strangulation Feb. 5, 2017, in her apartment at 8 Congress St.

Authorities in the past have said that DNA evidence recovered at the crime scene linked Melendez, formerly of 297 Pleasant St., to the killing.

A lawyer for Melendez, Mark Bluver, said Wednesday that while he and co-counsel believed there may have been a defense to the evidence in the case, Melendez wished to plead guilty to accept responsibility.

“He wanted to be held accountable,” Bluver said. Melendez did not address the court directly.

Corinne Tsouvalos, the best friend of Hehir’s who grew up with and worked with her, told the court Wednesday that her death was a true loss for humanity.

Hehir was a “survivor” who lost her father early in life, appreciated every second she had - especially time with family and friends - and taught her students to do the same, she said.

Hehir was smart, athletic and joyful, Tsouvalos said, and was beloved by her students at Claremont Academy.

“I will miss you, Ms Herir. You will always be in my heart,” Tsouvalos quoted a student who labeled Hehir the “best teacher in the world” as writing on her memorial page.

Tsouvalos said it was an honor to be a close friend and colleague to Hehir, who she said was the “embodiment” of everything right in the world.

Hehir had a rare gift of making everyone feel important, Tsouvalos said, and her death leaves a hole in her heart that can never be filled.

Hehir’s sister said Herir’s first priority was her loved ones, describing the joy she took from Wiffle ball games outside church, road trips to the beach and her mother’s lobster rolls.

“We as a family don’t understand how you could have taken such a beautiful soul,” she told Melendez.

The woman closed by reading a poem she said was Hehir’s favorite - the Mother Teresa poem, “Do it anyway.”

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered,” the poem reads. “Forgive them anyways.”

Melendez will receive credit for the 2,135 days he has spent in jail awaiting trial.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Killer of Worcester educator Sandra Hehir pleads guilty, sentenced to 17-19 years