BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man who pleaded no contest to killing his wife’s cousin was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years to life in prison, court records show.
Jaime Regalado-Avalos, 45, in June pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the death of Claudia Morales Vazquez, 33. Her body was discovered the morning of April 26, 2024.
His wife, Noralina Vasquez-Hernandez, pleaded no contest in 2024 to an accessory charge. She admitted to using bleach and other cleaning materials to wipe down their apartment on Normandy Drive after the killing.
Vazquez had been staying with the couple.
The wife told investigators Regalado-Avalos became angry when Vazquez asked him personal questions. She said he broke her cousin’s phone, then ordered her to go to her bedroom and lock the door while he remained behind with Vazquez.
Soon after, Vasquez-Hernandez said, she heard what sounded like someone gasping for air.
“Vasquez-Hernandez said she opened the door and saw (Vazquez) on the ground, on her back,” an investigator wrote in court documents. “Regalado-Avalos was standing over her with his right foot pushing down on the left side of (Vazquez’s) neck.”
Later, Regalado-Avalos carried Vazquez from the apartment, the wife said.
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