Man sentenced for stabbing estranged wife 43 times while their child was waiting outside

FLORENCE, Ariz. (TCN) — A father will spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally stabbing his estranged wife, who he shared three children with.

In a Sept. 15 news release, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller said Javier Lopez received a natural life sentence without the possibility of release after he previously pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder.

According to prosecutors, the defendant stabbed his wife, Christina Lopez, 43 times on April 11, 2024. One of their three children was reportedly waiting outside the residence in a car at the time. The teen allegedly “asked his father if he had hurt his mother after hearing screaming and crying inside the home.”

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office announced Javier Lopez’s arrest following the incident.

Miller called the stabbing a “calculated, premeditated act of murder that robbed a mother of her life and young children of their mother,” adding, “Domestic violence is a scourge on our communities, and my office will continue to pursue the strongest penalties available under the law for those who commit such heinous crimes. These children will grow up without their mother’s love and comfort as they go through their lives.”

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