A jury on Tuesday found a man guilty of second-degree murder in a 2017 Sacramento stabbing in which the victim was dating the defendant's estranged wife.
Arturo Hernandez, 33, was convicted in connection with the fatal stabbing of 25-year-old Anthony Freas, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.
Hernandez Entered His Estranged Wife's Apartment, Stabbed Freas While He was Asleep in Her Bedroom
According to prosecutors, Hernandez was estranged from his wife when she started dating Freas. When Hernandez learned about his wife dating Freas, he became enraged, according to the District Attorney's Office.
One night, Hernandez tried reaching his wife by phone, but she didn't respond. She had fallen asleep with Freas at her apartment. While she and Freas slept, Hernandez entered his wife's apartment and went to her bedroom. Prosecutors said Hernandez then stabbed Freas multiple times as he slept, killing him. Hernandez then fled the apartment.
About 2:15 p.m. Nov. 19, 2017, officers were called to the Regency Apartments in the 5900 block of Riza Avenue, just west of Stockton Boulevard near south Sacramento. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the stabbing victim, later identified as Freas. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Hernandez Evaded Police by Fleeing to Mexico, was Extradited Back to Sacramento County in July 2023
The Sacramento Police Department identified Hernandez as the suspect in the deadly stabbing and released his photo and description in December 2017, asking the public to help find him.
Prosecutors said Hernandez had evaded police by leaving to Mexico, where he remained for about five years before authorities located him and took him into custody.
In July 2023, the Police Department announced that Hernandez had been extradited and returned to Sacramento County to face criminal charges in the stabbing.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hernandez remained in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 17. Prosecutors said Hernandez faces a maximum sentence of 16 years to life in prison.
