Ismael Pinedalopez, 34, was arraigned Tuesday on murder charges after prosecutors say he fatally stabbed his wife’s lover in their Anaheim bedroom while their two young children watched.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office alleges Pinedalopez came home early from work on Oct. 24 and discovered Nicholas Garcia, 28, in bed with his wife — with the couple’s 2-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son also in the bed. Garcia was in his underwear at the time, according to prosecutors.
Pinedalopez allegedly attacked Garcia with a pocketknife, stabbing him “multiple times” in the bedroom of the family home. Garcia died at the scene from his wounds.
The wife and children were not physically harmed in the attack, prosecutors said. Pinedalopez was arrested at the scene.
District Attorney Todd Spitzer condemned the violence in a statement issued by his office. “Violence is never the answer, and it is truly heartbreaking that these young children had to witness their father commit such a horrific act of brutality in their own home,” he said.
Pinedalopez now faces one felony count of murder with a felony enhancement for personal use of a weapon. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 26 years to life in prison.
The case marks the second time this year that suspected infidelity has turned deadly in California, according to prosecutors. In January, former Glendale firefighter Andrew Jimenez allegedly killed his wife, Mayra Lopez Jimenez, with an ax at their North Hollywood home after suspecting she was cheating.
Jimenez’s attorney, Jose Romero, previously told The Post that investigators discovered a “diary” that showed Lopez Jimenez had been unfaithful. “Our office is currently in contact with law enforcement regarding a diary of the decedent, apparently read moments before the homicide, that verified infidelity by the decedent,” Romero said.
Investigators believe Lopez Jimenez was struck repeatedly with the ax. Jimenez was charged with one count of murder with an allegation of using an ax as a deadly weapon, and also faces 26 years to life in state prison if convicted.
Pinedalopez’s case will proceed through Orange County Superior Court as prosecutors seek to hold him accountable for the killing that unfolded in front of his own children.