A California man found himself behind bars after he allegedly stabbed “a romantic rival” to death when he discovered the other man in bed with his wife.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release that Ismael Pinedalopez has been accused of fatally stabbing Nicholas Garcia with “a pocketknife.” The altercation took place when Pinedalopez, 34, came home early from work and found Garcia, 28, in his underwear with his wife along with the defendant’s two young children on Saturday, October 24.
“Anaheim police received a call regarding a stabbing at a home in the 700 block of N. Pine Street and found a bloodied Pinedalopez,” the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in the release shared on Tuesday, October 27. “Police found the body of Garcia inside the bedroom Pinedalopez shared with his wife and their two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son.”
Police added that Garcia had been “stabbed multiple times” during the incident.
Authorities added that Pinedalopez’s wife and their two children were not hurt amid the alleged attack.
Following the incident, Pinedalopez was arrested and has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement for personal use of a weapon. If he is found guilty of all of the charges, he will face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.
“Violence is never the answer, and it is truly heartbreaking that these young children had to witness their father commit such a horrific act of brutality in their own home,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement about the case.
Pinedalopez attended his arraignment hearing on Tuesday, according to the release. Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney of the Homicide Unit has been tasked to prosecute the case.
Police have not revealed if Pinedalopez has a criminal past or if police had been called to his home regarding domestic issues in previous situations. It’s also not currently known how long Pinedalopez and his wife have been together or how long her alleged affair with Garcia had been.
It’s not currently clear if Pinedalopez has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Anaheim Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
