A woman was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the 2020 stabbing death of her boyfriend, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced.
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Alicia Espinoza, 27, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder and second-degree burglary in the killing of her boyfriend, who was found stabbed to death in his bathroom on Nov. 1, 2020.
Espinoza must serve at least 20 years in prison before she is eligible for parole under current California law, not including any credits determined by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, prosecutors said.
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The victim, whose name was not released, was discovered by a family member in a pool of blood. An autopsy revealed 28 stab wounds, including a fatal injury to the heart.
Tulare police said video surveillance captured Espinoza fleeing the home barefoot through the backyard. Investigators found bloody hand and footprints at the scene, along with a kitchen knife near one of the prints.
Espinoza fled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where she was located and arrested on Nov. 12, 2020, with the help of U.S. Marshals.
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Prosecutors said Espinoza had threatened to kill the victim during a tense exchange with his family days before the murder, after damaging a family heirloom.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Chelsea Wayt and investigated by the Tulare Police Department.
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