Suspect reveals motive in wife's murder in Indiantown, sheriff says
INDIANTOWN, Fla. (CBS12) — A motive has come to light and a murder charge has been levied against a man in the killing of a mother in Martin County.
Andres Mateo, 39, has been charged with first degree murder after deputies say he used a steak knife to stab his wife to death in front of their three-year-old girl in Indiantown.
“When our deputies breached the door and took him into custody, they also took her and took her outside to other family members so she didn’t have to keep seeing what she was having to endure," Martin County Chief Deputy John Budensiek said. "But unfortunately, she was extremely traumatized by what she had to encounter there."
Initial calls to the home along Southwest Cherokee Drive came in shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday.
After knocking down a locked bedroom door, deputies found a man kneeling over his bleeding wife at a multifamily home.
That man was Andres Mateo, who surrendered to deputies at the scene.
“When the deputies kicked the door in, he immediately rolled over, put his hands up and gave up,” Budensiek recalled.
The woman who was killed - Dominga Gaspar-Francisco per the affidavit - was pronounced dead at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center shortly after.
Investigators say Mateo revealed a motive for the murder during questioning on Tuesday.
“When he came home from work, she was packing her belongings and she told him, according to him, she told him that she was going to leave him and that he would never see her or the baby again," the chief deputy explained. "That’s when he went into his actions that resulted in multiple stab wounds."
Chief Deputy Budensiek says this discord had been going on for weeks - if not months - due to his suspicion of her infidelity.
“He started tracking her movements, her social media, her phone calls and over the last few weeks, their dialogue, his accusations against her and her defending herself had ramped up until the point where, he said, she was going to leave him yesterday,” Budensiek revealed.
The sheriff's office says this instance serves as an unfortunate reminder to call for help when domestic trouble may be brewing.
“Always, always, always report it," Budensiek stated. "There are people that can kick in and help you safely, safely as possible navigate through whatever domestic-related scenarios that you have.”
Mateo will be held in the Martin County Jail without bond as he awaits trial.