HOUSTON – A man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after he was convicted of murder in the death of his wife.
According to authorities, Ricardo Olivarez, 42, and Linda Cardona, 40, had been living together in Atascocita for about three years when the incident happened.
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Olivarez originally told police he and Cardona had been fighting over a gun on Oct. 15, 2017, when it went off and Cardona was hit in the head.
However, after further investigation, authorities learned that Cardona had been trying to leave the relationship and that is why Olivarez shot her in the head, officials said.
“He pulled out a pistol and shot her to death because she was leaving him,” said Assistant District Attorney Robert Buss, the prosecutor who handled the case. “This was no accident. He shot her in the center of her forehead.”
Cardona was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she later died.
“We know all too well that domestic violence can continue to escalate until someone is killed, which is what happened in this case,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “The most dangerous time in a relationship is when a victim is trying to leave an abuser.”
According to a news release, Olivarez pleaded guilty to Cardona’s death, but then “withdrew that plea, and was freed on bail by the court until his case could be resolved.”
Olivarez was eventually convicted of murder, and a judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison.