STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A Stoughton man who tried to kill himself after allegedly stabbing his wife to death in an apparent domestic violence-related attack that was overheard by their children was ordered held without bail during his bedside arraignment at Boston Medical Center on Monday.
Ilton Rodriguez, 48, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder as he laid in a hospital bed recovering from life-threatening injuries consistent with a suicide attempt.
Officers responding to an apartment on Benett Drive about 11:30 p.m. on Friday found a 43-year-old Telma 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.
During a Saturday morning press conference, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said the scene of the crime was “extremely violent.”
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.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)