A man was charged Wednesday with fatally stabbing his estranged wife during a domestic dispute at a San Juan Capistrano home, allegedly using a knife and an axe.
Stephen Anthony Demora, 62, was accused of killing 59-year-old Debora Jean Demora on Saturday and was charged with murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies responded about 6:30 a.m. to a reported domestic dispute in the 26000 block of Laurelwood Lane, authorities said.
Deputies found the victim suffering from stab wounds, and the suspect was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening, according to authorities.
The estranged couple lived at the residence where the stabbing occurred, deputies said.
According to court records, the defendant filed for divorce last summer. The couple married Oct. 16, 1993, and separated in July, records show. They had no minor children and resided in the 26000 block of Laurelwood Lane.
Court records also show that on May 15, 2024, a neighbor sought a restraining order against the defendant, alleging he placed “ritual-demonic objects” along a property line, including “voodoo dolls” dressed to resemble the neighbor and her husband, with an expletive directed at her.
The neighbor said Demora was “an animal walker and cleans horse stalls with his wife, Debbie Demora.” She added that “people in the neighborhood are scared for us. We are scared of her and husband.”
The neighbors resolved the issue in mediation and the harassment claim was dismissed, court records show.
Demora did not enter a plea at his arraignment at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on Wednesday.
His arraignment was rescheduled for March 26 in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.