BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A Kern County jury found a man guilty Thursday of premeditated, attempted murder, and domestic violence charges for his attacks in 2020 against the mother of his four children.
A verdict wasn't reached on on an additional allegation of child abuse, according to the Kern County District Attorney's Office.
“Domestic violence incidents are a threat to everyone within the home, and when domestic disputes erupt in violence, abusers will be prosecuted. Premeditated attempts to take the lives of others, even when ultimately unsuccessful, justify the life sentences that the law demands for such crimes.”
According to court documents, the Bakersfield Police Department received a 911 call on June 28, 2020, from a juvenile saying her father had stabbed her mother at an apartment in the 300 block of South Owens Street.
An investigation found Martin Parra Araujo stabbed the victim multiple times in the chest, then went into the living room and cut his own throat, according to court documents. One of the children tried to stop Araujo from stabbing the victim and was cut on her arm.
When officers went to the apartment they found Araujo lying on the living room floor in a large puddle of blood, alive but unresponsive, according to court documents. Officers found the victim in the bathroom covered in a large amount of blood, having suffered multiple stab wounds, according to court documents.
Araujo faces a maximum of 13 years to life in prison and sentencing is set for Feb. 28th, 2022.
