An El Cajon man pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder more than three years after his wife's death.
Gankil Wijdan, 38, was found stabbed to death inside one of the apartments on Roanoke Road in El Cajon on June 2, 2013.
Her husband, Salem Zora, called the El Cajon Police Department and told officers he had returned home to find his wife not breathing.
Homicide investigators would later find Zora several inconsistencies in his account of the incident and the crime scene.
On Tuesday, the 51-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder but did not reveal a motive.
Wijdan's relatives told investigators the victim said she had been arguing with her husband. When asked why she missed a family gathering, Wijdan told the family member that Zora didn't want her going to the party.
There was no known documented history of domestic violence between them.
Police say the couple lived alone in the El Cajon apartment and had no children.
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Wijdan’s nephew, Steven Rofaeel, described his aunt as a sweet, quiet person who was always helping others.
Zora will be sentenced next month and reportedly faces 16 years to life in prison.
