BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Last week, jurors heard emotional testimony from the children of Taylor Estrada, whose throat was slit by her estranged husband in May of last year.
Rafael Estrada, 45, faces life in prison if convicted.
His public defender, Jacob Evans, doesn’t dispute Estrada killed his wife. But he’s told jurors he should be found guilty of second-degree rather than first-degree murder, arguing the killing wasn’t premeditated.
Prosecutor Leanne Wilder said during her opening statement she believes sufficient evidence will be presented to find him guilty on all charges — including first-degree murder.
17 News on Tuesday resumed live blogging the trial.
Rafael Estrada stabbed his wife in the neck after arriving uninvited at a house on Monterey Street where she and her children were staying with her parents after moving from Discovery Bay.
He’d been drinking, according to testimony, and killed Taylor Estrada with a pocketknife following a brief argument in a back bedroom.
After fleeing in a pickup, he led deputies on a chase that ended when he pulled into a church parking lot. He was taken into custody with force including a K-9.
Yolanda Estrada had four children, one of whom she had with Rafael Estrada. Three children who testified last week said Rafael Estrada became angry and sometimes verbally abusive when he drank, which was often.
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