An immigrant living in Illinois illegally stabbed his wife to death in front of their daughter, nearly decapitating her, authorities said.
Prosecutors say Baltazar Perez Estrada, 32, attacked Maricela Simon Franco after the couple got into a fight on Sunday and her husband learned that Maricela had a boyfriend, according to reports. announced.
Prosecutors say the man is suspected of stabbing the 26-year-old bride dozens of times in the head, body, hands and neck with a knife, nearly cutting her off. FOX32 reported.
“This extremely violent end to a young mother’s life touches us all,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement, according to the office.
After the assault, the accused husband entered Carol Stream Police Station on Monday and allegedly admitted to social services staff that he had killed his wife. The Daily Herald reported. It cited a motion seeking pretrial detention.
He was arrested and charged with murder.
He allegedly told the worker that he learned she had a boyfriend before the deadly fight began.
One of Perez-Estrada’s daughters entered the bedroom where the argument was taking place and saw her father “hit” her mother with a knife, the petition states, according to the Herald.
According to the petition, the victim’s uncle told authorities before he was killed that he intended to leave Perez-Estrada after nine years of marriage.
Perez-Estrada entered the United States illegally at the southern border last month but was released and given a future court date, Fox 32 reported. He previously lived in Mexico.
“Domestic violence continues to afflict society, with more than 10 million people a year becoming victims of some form of violence,” Berlin’s state prosecutor said, according to the report.
“The sad reality in this case is that Maricela’s life has been reduced to a statistic of domestic violence due to the alleged actions of her husband, Baltazar Pérez-Estrada.”
