RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — After deliberation that started Tuesday in the murder trial of N.C. State student Christina Matos, on Wednesday afternoon a jury found Erick Hernandez-Mendez guilty of first-degree murder of his wife.
Hernandez-Mendez was accused of stabbing 20-year-old Matos to death in 2021.
He faces a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
In court on Tuesday, Hernandez-Mendez said that he needed his wife alive to complete an immigration visa process. He asked jurors to believe he was telling the truth in court. Hernandez-Mendez told jurors during his testimony that the marriage with Matos was only in the interest of getting a green card. He said he paid her $15,000 so she could marry him.
Hernandez-Mendez also blamed co-defendant Kailey Lynch-Firicano, their roommate, for the murder. Lynch-Firicano is charged with accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice in June 2023.
On April 4, 2021, Matos was found dead from multiple stab wounds at her apartment on Hillsborough Street. Hernandez-Mendez was arrested and charged on April 9, 2021.
Hernandez-Mendez plans to appeal the guilty verdict, according to court officials.