SALINAS (BCN) — A 38-year-old man was found guilty today for the fatal stabbing of his estranged girlfriend in 2014, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Florencio Anselmo was convicted of first-degree murder for a stabbing that killed 44-year-old Maria Ceja, prosecutors said.
On July 4, 2014, Anselmo went to look for Ceja at Mariano’s Club in Salinas, where she had gone out dancing with her friends, according to prosecutors.
The pair engaged in conversation and danced for about 30 minutes until Ceja told him she wanted to stop, prosecutors said.
Anselmo was upset and got escorted out of the club by security personnel, according to prosecutors.
The defendant waited an hour for Ceja, called her cellphone multiple times and made death threats to her, prosecutors said.
He then took a taxi to the woman’s apartment and hid for about half an hour in her van that was left unlocked, prosecutors said.
Once she came home, Anselmo stepped out of the van and stabbed her twice in the chest with a folding knife as she entered the driver’s seat, according to prosecutors.
The woman’s 12-year-old daughter ran to the vehicle after hearing her mother scream. Ceja’s 17-year-old son tried to stop the bleeding and called 911, prosecutors said.
Ceja, who had six children, was transported to a hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, which perforated her heart, according to prosecutors.
Anselmo was arrested a day later, confessed to the murder and led detectives to the weapon, prosecutors said.
During the trial, Anslemo stated he had post-traumatic stress disorder that resulted from child abuse and disrupted his mental state, according to prosecutors.
Anselmo is scheduled for sentencing on July 28, when he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.