After over a week in the hospital, a man suspected of stabbing his estranged wife to death at an apartment in Chelsea, Massachusetts, has faced murder and assault charges, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Mario Alberto Mira Lopera, 48, was accused of killing Paula Andrea Ortiz Ramirez, also 48, in the apartment on Stockton Street, prosecutors have said.
While he remains hospitalized, Mira was cleared by doctors Monday to be arraigned, which took place in a court hearing Tuesday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Ortiz was found dead having been stabbed and slashed multiple times, while Mira was also found injured in the apartment and rushed to the hospital for surgery.
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A judge ordered Mira be held without bail, prosecutors said.
Ortiz and Mira have children together.
"The evidence indicates that Ms. Ortiz’s life was taken in a violent domestic attack. This is a tragedy as children are now left without a mother and have a father who will be charged with her murder if he survives," District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement last week.
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In a statement Tuesday, Rollins reiterated the compound trauma from this kind of incident.
"I had the opportunity to speak with the son and daughter of the victim, who lost their mother during this act of domestic violence. Even more traumatizing and devastating, their father is accused of the murder," Rollins said. "In an instant, this family was forever changed. My office will be available to them as they grieve and begin to move through the criminal prosecution.”
Authorities haven't said how they believe Mira suffered life-threatening injuries in the incident.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP: Massachusetts provides this list of national, statewide and local resources for victims of domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Anyone who is in immediate danger or knows someone who is is urged to call 911.
