From Deseret News archives:
Police investigate St. George murder
She told police about it when they arrived at her home to respond to a family fight on July 26.
"(Jaime) was accusing (Maria) of having many boyfriends because she works in construction with men," St. George Police Officer Lona Cullison wrote in a police report obtained by the Deseret Morning News.
Police said accusations of philandering led Jaime Antonio Lopez to drive to his estranged wife's house here in a quiet St. George neighborhood late Tuesday night, confront her and begin stabbing her with a 6-inch fillet knife.
"He is jealous because she's staying in this house with six guys who are unrelated. He feels that his wife is having affairs," Sgt. Craig Harding said Wednesday.
Investigators said Lopez, 40, made several calls to her Tuesday night, accusing her of cheating on him.
Police confirmed to the Deseret Morning News that Lopez had purchased a 6-inch outdoors-style fillet knife in a leather sheath. Packaging was found near the crime scene. About 10 p.m. Tuesday, police said Lopez parked his car a couple of blocks away, barged in through the back door and immediately began stabbing Rivas.
"Her son and two other people in the house heard the ruckus, came out and began to restrain him," Harding said.
When officers arrived, they found Lopez being held down and Rivas was lying in a pool of blood. Harding said the officers performed CPR on Rivas until an ambulance arrived.
She died en route to the hospital.
Under questioning, police said Lopez told investigators he believed his wife was having affairs.
"There's no evidence of that," Harding said. "Only his suspicions."
Police said Lopez had been living in another apartment across town from his estranged wife. Rivas, 32, was living in a home with her 16-year-old son and seven other people.
All of them are in the country illegally, investigators said.
Rivas told police in July that her husband had abused her in the past, according to the report obtained by the Deseret Morning News. The names had been blacked out from the copy, but investigators confirmed Rivas and Lopez were involved.
"The argument did not turn physical, but their son stepped in the middle of the arguing couple to separate them," Cullison wrote. "(Maria) was afraid that it might (turn physical) because of this and because he has hit her in the past so (Maria) called 911."
Lopez has been booked into the Purgatory Jail on investigation of aggravated murder, a capital offense, and first-degree felony aggravated burglary.
The Washington County Attorney's office said it was screening the case and could file charges as early as today.
E-mail: bwinslowi@desnews.com
