Man Faces Murder Charge in Stabbing
A Laguna Niguel man accused of stabbing his wife to death in front of their children was charged Tuesday in her murder.
Arnulfo Perez Rios, 44, made his first court appearance at South Justice Center in Laguna Niguel, where Orange County Superior Court Judge Carl Biggs set bail at $250,000 and set arraignment for Feb. 22.
Rios, an electrical engineer, faces one count each of murder and use of a weapon. The maximum punishment if he is convicted is 26 years to life in prison, Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Glazier said.
Arnulfo Rios repeatedly stabbed Maria Andrade Rios, 40, in the neck and upper body with a kitchen knife in a bedroom of their Laguna Hills apartment on Hidden Hills Drive late Saturday, police said.
Three of the couple’s five children were home at the time. The daughters, ages 11, 13 and 18, ran outside to seek help and call 911, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Neighbors rushed to the bedroom, where they tried to save Maria Rios and restrained her husband.
While waiting for police to arrive, Arnulfo Perez Rios, who witnesses said was covered in blood and smelled of alcohol, told a neighbor that he was upset with his wife for cursing at him.
Rios was on suicide watch Tuesday at Orange County Jail in Santa Ana, authorities said.
The couple’s children are staying with relatives.
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