Man sentenced to death for killing ex-wife in front of daughter

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 9:07 a.m.

A man was sentenced to death Thursday for stabbing and strangling his ex-wife in front of their 3-year-old daughter last year.

Fernando Hernandez, 38, was found guilty in July of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, second-degree kidnapping and burglary while in possession of a weapon.

Jurors also found Hernandez guilty of using a dinner knife to commit unlawful sexual penetration of the victim's dead body, but they acquitted him of a related sexual assault charge.

The jury recommended the death sentence and District Judge Sally Loehrer followed the recommendation Thursday.

In an unsworn statement to the jury, Hernandez apologized for his crimes and told jurors he loved his daughter.

The sentence will be appealed automatically.

The 38-year-old victim, Donna Hernandez, had obtained seven temporary or extended protective orders against Hernandez during the previous four years.

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