STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A Stoughton man who tried to kill himself after allegedly stabbing his wife to death in an apparent domestic violence attack in Stoughton last week was allegedly living in the United States illegally and will be removed pending the outcome of his case.
Ilton Rodriguez, 48, pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge as he laid in a hospital bed recovering from life-threatening injuries consistent with a suicide attempt following the stabbing death of his 43-year-old wife, Telma Bras.
In a statement issued Friday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman confirmed Rodriguez is a Brazilian citizen who had been living in the country illegally and that the agency has lodged and immigration detainer with the Norfolk County House of Corrections to have him removed pending the outcome of the criminal charges he faces.
Officers responding to an apartment on Benett Drive about 11:30 p.m. on Friday found Bras dead in the living room and Rodriguez with a knife still protruding from his body, according to Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Blair.
A 17-year-old girl heard the disturbance and alerted a family member, who in turn notified the authorities, according to the district attorney’s office. A 7-year-old boy was also home at the time of the murder.
Bras suffered seven puncture wounds to her heart, lungs, chest, and back, according to court documents.
Rodriguez told responding officers that he returned home from work earlier in the night to find his wife drinking, playing video games, and talking to another man online, the documents indicate. She then allegedly sent him back out to pay an overdue National Grid bill and repeatedly told him to “get away from her” when he came back, prompting Rodriguez to grab a kitchen knife.
As Rodriguez started to harm himself, police say Bras tried to intervene but was repeatedly stabbed when she got close. Rodriguez then reportedly laid down next to Bras in a “large pool of blood” and started stabbing himself, prosecutors said during the arraignment.
Moments after the murder, Rodriguez allegedly told police that he left a voicemail on his brother’s phone that said, “I killed my wife and now I’m going to kill myself.”
Rodriguez later underwent emergency surgery and was arrested at the hospital. He is expected to survive.
Family members and professionals are now caring for the children. They are expected to undergo counseling due to the traumatic nature of the incident.
Rodriguez is slated to appear in Stoughton District Court on June 10.
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