An Arizona man has been charged with murder after he allegedly stabbed his ex-wife to death 38 times after she started dating a new man.
Last Thursday, Pinal County Police were called to a rural area for a welfare check at a home. Upon arrival, police said they heard two dogs barking from inside the home.
When they entered, they discovered Christina Lopez, 43, dead on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.
Blood and other evidence linked the murder to her husband, Javier, 49. The murder weapon, Javier’s T-shirt and cell phone were found at the scene.
Detectives assigned to the investigation learned that the married couple had separated in November, but were still disputing joint custody of their children.
An Arizona man, Keith Lopez (left), has been charged with murder after stabbing his ex-wife Christina (right) to death 38 times after she confirmed to him that she had started dating another man.
Javier López was still sometimes at Cristina’s house to do yard work and help with other tasks.
The day before Christina’s murder, she and Javier had been arguing over custody of their children.
The next day, Javier took one of his children to visit Christina’s house, but asked him to stay in the car so he could go talk to her.
According to investigators, Javier asked Christina if she had started dating another man. She replied yes, which bothered him.
He then allegedly became violent, pulling out a pocket knife and stabbing Christina nearly 40 times until she died on the home’s kitchen floor.
Interestingly, Lopez allegedly threw a bag of dog food over his wife’s stabbed body because he was so furious that she had a new man.
Investigators say she then drove back home with her son, and the panicked boy asked her if she had hurt his mother because he could hear screaming and crying.
Blood and other evidence linked the murder to Lopez’s 49-year-old husband, Javier. Javier’s murder weapon, t-shirt and cell phone were left at the scene.
The day before Christina’s murder, she and Javier had been arguing over custody of their children.
The day after the alleged murder, Lopez was arrested in Phoenix after police detained him for questioning.
During police interrogation in custody, Javier allegedly admitted to murdering his ex-wife, before washing his hands before driving home to his son.
Lopez was booked into the Pinal County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and held on $1 million bail.
In a statement, Christina’s sister said the victim, who called herself ‘Tina,’ was an ‘amazing little sister’ who was senselessly murdered.
“She was the bright light in any room, fun, loud and made everyone feel welcome and loved,” Shannon Mayfield told AZ Family.
‘[Christina] He had 3 children who were his world whom he supported all his life, sometimes even working 3 jobs to make ends meet.
“She was at every practice and sports game running back and forth to make sure she could see them,” Mayfield added.
He said he doesn’t want the murder to be how his sister is remembered.
‘I want the way she lived to be remembered. She didn’t deserve this. This horrible incident has devastated my parents and their family. I promise that I will fight for the rest of my life to make sure that man never gets out of prison.
Javier allegedly admitted to murdering his ex-wife and washed his hands before driving home to his son.
Lopez was booked into the Pinal County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and held on $1 million bail.
Priscilla and Keith Miller, Christina’s parents, explained Javier’s jealousy.
“He couldn’t stand it because he knew he would never get her back,” the Millers said. fox10.
They added that the couple had known each other since adolescence but that in recent times the relationship became toxic.
‘The children witnessed it and she couldn’t take it anymore. ‘She said she told me that she would wake up going to bed crying and waking up crying,’ they said.
The Millers will now take over raising the couple’s children, who they said were afraid of their father.
‘The way I know she would have raised her children, her children, that’s how we’re going to try. She won’t be mommy, but we will do the best we can,” they said.
TO GoFundMe is trying to raise $100,000 to pay for the funeral service and help Christina’s three children in the future.
Javier López now awaits a preliminary hearing on April 19.