Guilty verdict in 2011 Elko County murder; nabbed in Mexico
ELKO, Nev. – A 34-year-old man accused of killing his estranged wife in Nevada and fleeing to Mexico more than five years ago has been convicted of murder in Elko County.
District court jurors returned the guilty verdict for Eduardo Estrada-Puentes Tuesday in the 2011 death of 29-year-old Stephanie Gonzales.
Prosecutors said Estrada-Puentes strangled her and took her two young children to his parents’ house before disappearing.
He was arrested in Mexico in 2014 after a three-year manhunt that generated thousands of dollars in reward money at Elko-area fundraisers.
His lawyer argued he acted in a heat of passion and should have been tried for voluntary manslaughter.
The Elko Daily Free Press reports (http://tinyurl.com/ht8d8e2 ) Chief District Attorney Chad Thompson paused during closing arguments Tuesday and counted off four minutes to demonstrate the average time it takes to die from strangulation.
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Information from: Elko Daily Free Press, http://www.elkodaily.com
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