MERIDIAN, Idaho — A man convicted of stabbing his estranged wife 26 times in Meridian has been sentenced to serve at least 15 years in prison.
47-year-old Juan Diego Ramos Lopez, who was convicted in July, will serve the sentence for domestic violence in the presence of a child. The charge also carried a sentencing enhancement for infliction of great bodily injury.
Prosecutors say Lopez stabbed his wife 26 times in the head, face, neck, arm and chest while four of the couple's children were present in the home. Their 16-year-old child is said to have called 911 after striking Lopez to stop the attack.
"The defendant, who has a long history of domestic violence offenses, was on a supervised felony probation at the time of the attack," prosecutors stated in a Thursday news release.
As Idaho News 6 previously reported, Lopez was arrested in Oregon. Oregon State Police said he still had blood on his hands and admitted that he had stabbed his wife.
At sentencing, District Judge Nancy Baskin ordered that Lopez serve 30 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years, calling him "a clear and present danger."
"I don't know that there could be a more serious offense, unless your victim had died," Baskin told Lopez. “You don’t get to stab the woman you love 26 times in the presence of your children. You continue to present a risk to those you claim to care for…you are a clear and present danger.”
