Man who killed estranged wife in Elko sentenced to life in prison

ELKO — A 34-year-old man convicted of murdering his estranged wife in Nevada and fleeing to Mexico more than five years ago has been sentenced in Elko County to life in prison without parole.

Judge Al Kacin told Eduardo Estrada-Puentes during Friday’s sentencing hearing that he committed a “heinous” crime when he strangled Stephanie Gonzalez in 2011. He was apprehended in Mexico in 2014 after a three-year manhunt.

The Elko Daily Free Press reports Estrada-Puentes’ family testified that he was a “kind and loving father” and always helpful to others. They also said he grew up in a home that had a history of domestic violence.

His lawyers argued that Estrada-Puentes acted in the heat of passion and should have been tried for manslaughter.

But Kacin said the state “proved beyond a shadow of a doubt” it was first-degree murder before imposing the sentence.