A man was convicted Tuesday of murdering his live-in girlfriend with a sword in front of her four children in Lancaster nearly seven years ago.
Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding Jesus Humberto Canales, 35, guilty of first-degree murder for the July 12, 2008, stabbing death of Lucy Preciado, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Jurors also convicted him of four counts of child abuse involving the children, who were between 7 months and 9 years old at the time of their 26- year-old mother’s death, according to Santiago.
Preciado’s then-9-year-old daughter called 911 to plead for help, telling a 911 operator that she didn’t want her mom to die.
Canales — who was subsequently profiled on the television show “America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back” — eluded capture until homicide detectives learned that the Salvadoran native was residing in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico. He was detained in November 2013 by Mexican authorities, handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service and flown back to Los Angeles.
Canales is facing a life prison term, with sentencing scheduled for March 24 at the Lancaster courthouse.
— City News Service