ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A St. Tammany Parish jury found 30-year-old Fernando Cortez guilty of second-degree murder on Thursday, June 27.
According to the Office of District Attorney Collin Sims, the crime took place on April 17, 2020, at Cortez’s home.
The district attorney’s office reported that testimony at the trial determined Cortez dialed 911 around 5:30 a.m., saying he and his “wife” were both stabbed.
Court documents state Cortez later stated that he stabbed his “wife” three to four times and told 911 operators that “her leg is gone.”
Deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the residence and found Cortez with a knife.
After a brief struggle, STPSO deputies said they were able to subdue Cortez and arrest him.
According to court documents, deputies found the body of the victim with multiple cuts and “missing her left leg.”
STPSO deputies said they also found a “freshly dug hole” and a shovel in the home’s yard.
Cortez was taken to a hospital for treatment of self-inflicted cuts and later was booked at the parish jail.
Court documents state the victim was reportedly in the process of ending her relationship with Cortez. A friend of the victim testified during the trial that the victim told her she was planning to leave Cortez.
In a post-arrest interview, the district attorney’s office reported Cortez “claimed their discord was triggered by his insistence she be tested for Covid. He said the victim refused, saying she was not sick. The defendant said he then retrieved a knife and stabbed the victim.”
The district attorney’s office reported the trial lasted three days and jurors came back with a guilty verdict after deliberating for 20 minutes.
Cortez is set to be sentenced on Tuesday, July 23.
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