MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death and decapitating her as their 3-year-old daughter watched has been convicted of murder.
Skagit County Superior Court judge handed down the verdict Wednesday against 32-year-old Timothy Paul Hernandez, who told police he had killed his girlfriend, 27-year-old Vanessa Cons, on orders from God.
Hernandez had been charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the gruesome killing, but the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove premeditation and convicted him of second-degree murder. Sentencing is scheduled for next week.