Murder Suspect Says The Victim Asked Him To Clean The Crime Scene

A California man who is on trial for the murder of his estranged wife claims that he is innocent and that he only cleaned up the crime scene to fulfill her dying wish

David Pena's defense attorney argued that his client found Martha Mendiola lying on the floor of her garage with a large knife in her back. He then went to check on her and claims that she made him promise not to let their son see her like this before telling him she loved him. 

Pena did as she asked and cleaned the blood-stained floor of the garage with bleach and then wrapped her body in a tarp and put it in the back seat of her car. Officers found the car and were able to track down Pena using Mendiola's cell phone.

The prosecutors are telling the jury a different story. They say that Pena killed his wife, and even pretended to be her when co-workers and her son texted her after she failed to show up for work. They said that he was angry and believed she was having an affair. 

“He’s angry, he’s desperate. He talked about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” prosecutor Nathan Lambert said.

Pena faces a minimum of 16 years to life in prison if convicted of murder.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content