Lieutenant I (formerly Detective III) Julio Sanchez is a fictional character featured in TNT's The Closer and its follow-up series Major Crimes, portrayed by Raymond Cruz.

He is now a lieutenant with Los Angeles Police Department's Criminal Intelligence Division, accepting the promotion in "By Any Means", Part 4" Fluent in both Spanish and English, Julio is an expert on street gangs.

Julio tells Rusty he did eventually put the men away for attempted murder and rape and they got life in prison as they were on their third strike and shows great satisfaction at the result.

It seems at first that he is married, but in Brenda and Fritz's wedding video (season 4 episode "Double Blind"), he reveals that he has been a widower for six years.

Julio survives, after five surgeries and shoulder reconstruction, and is back on the force via Chief Johnson's recommendation in that season's "Good Faith".

In season six episode "Help Wanted", Julio takes in the son of a serial rapist whose mother is in Mexico temporarily.

To help make up for his mistake, Julio reopens the investigations into the murders of the man's father and uncle which had been unsolved for over twenty years.

In season four episode "Sorry I Missed You", Sanchez explains the source of his constant anger problems: several years before he was married and his wife had a seizure disorder.

Five months pregnant with their first child, a baby girl, his wife had a seizure while driving and crashed her car, dying four days later.

In the five-part "Hindsight" arc at the end of season four, Julio develops a relationship with Detective Stephanie Dunn who, like him, suffered the loss of a loved one unexpectedly, in her case, her husband.

In season 6's four-part "Conspiracy Theory", Julio is revealed to have had some sort of intimate relationship with Las Vegas Metro Police Detective Linda Chavez, one that he appears to not be enthusiastic about continuing.

In "Family Law", Julio is approved to be a foster parent and takes emergency placement of an eight-year-old boy named Mark Jarvis who is racist with an attitude problem.

Julio eventually returns in "Sanctuary City, Part 3", five days early to help solve the case of the St. Joseph's Three.

In "By Any Means, Part 3," Julio mentions that he is seeking a new home closer to Mark's school and discusses with Assistant Chief Mason an offer that he hasn't decided on yet.

As a result, Mason has offered Julio a promotion to lieutenant and a transfer to the Criminal Intelligence Division where he will have a less dangerous and demanding job.