Dixie man charged with killing wife

ST. GEORGE — Maria Rivas knew of her estranged husband's jealous temper.

She told police about it when they responded to a family fight at her home 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 Sr. to stab Maria Rivas to death Tuesday night 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," said Sgt. Craig Harding.

Lopez, 40, made his first appearance here in 5th District Court on Thursday, charged with aggravated murder, a capital offense; first-degree felony burglary; aggravated assault and child abuse, both third-degree felonies.

Police said Lopez made several calls to Rivas on Tuesday, accusing her of cheating on him. Investigators confirmed to the Deseret Morning News that Lopez had purchased a pair of knives earlier in the day, including the outdoors-style fillet knife. At the store, Harding said, the clerk remarked to Lopez that "those could really do a lot of damage."

"She said he smiled, got a weird look, said 'Yeah, you're right,' and chuckled and left," he said Thursday.

About 10 p.m. Tuesday, police said Lopez parked his car five blocks away from the house.

"He parked away from the house because he had been trespassed from it and knew that if they saw him, they would call the police," St. George Police Officer Shawn Carter wrote in a probable cause statement filed with the charges.

Police said Lopez barged in through the back door and immediately began stabbing Rivas.

"Her son and two other people heard the ruckus, came out and began to restrain him," Harding said.

When officers arrived, they found Lopez being held down and Rivas lying in a pool of blood. 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."