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 for the stabbing death of 25-year-old Anthony Freas, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.
Prosecutors said Hernandez was estranged from his wife when she began dating Freas.
When Hernandez learned about his wife dating Freas, he became angry, 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 left 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. Officers arrived and found the stabbing victim, later identified as Freas. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he later died.
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 found 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 maxmum sentence of 16 years to life in prison.
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Rosalio Ahumada writes breaking news stories related to crime and public safety for The Sacramento Bee. He speaks Spanish fluently and has worked as a news reporter in the Central Valley since 2004.