A San Diego man was found guilty of second-degree murder and child abuse in the fatal stabbing of his pregnant wife.
Jesus Arteaga-Garcia was on trial in the death of his estranged wife, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Maribel Arteaga.
A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and not guilty of first-degree murder. He was also found not guilty of second-degree murder of an unborn child, but guilty of child abuse.
Investigators believed Jesus stabbed Maribel while she was two months pregnant. Jesus reportedly went to her home on December 10, 2009 and argued with her over their children's visitation time.
As she turned to put the kids in the apartment, Jesus stabbed her, detectives said. Maribel was able to give a dying declaration to police officers, naming her estranged husband as her attacker.
U.S. Marshals searched for Jesus in Tijuana where members of his family lived.
"Through recent interviews, we received info that the family made a statement to the effect of 'Maribel got what she deserved'," said Deputy U.S. Marshal Steve Jurman in a previous article.
He said these types of statements led U.S. Marshals to believe that Arteaga-Garcia's family was not cooperating. Jurman believes certain family members were helping him avoid justice.
