PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A Cornelius man pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering his wife in front of two of the couple’s four children, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said.
According to officials, 34-year-old Jose Rodolfo Torres-Amaro’s trial was set to begin on Jan. 24, but he pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree murder before the trial began.
The district attorney’s office said Torres-Amaro stabbed and killed his wife, Sonia Bahena, at their apartment complex in Cornelius in front of two of their children.
Prosecutors said Behena called the Washington County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch line at 12:45 a.m. on the day of her death to report she was afraid of Torres-Amaro’s violent behavior during an argument they had in which he accused her of having an affair.
While on the call with dispatch, the district attorney’s office said Torres-Amaro attacked her with a kitchen knife. She was stabbed more than 20 times before officials said a cut to a jugular vein in her neck caused her to die.
The district attorney’s office said Torres-Amaro also tried to take his own life by stabbing his throat at the scene.
First responders arrived and rushed him to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
Torres-Amaro faces a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole with supervision after a minimum of 25 years.