FLORENCE, Ariz. — A man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his estranged wife last year in Pinal County by stabbing her up to 43 times.

Javier Lopez was sentenced in Pinal County Superior Court last week after he pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Christina Lopez, who was killed on April 11, 2024, near Florence.

One of the couple's three children was outside the home when the violent attack occurred and reported hearing screaming and crying, according to the Pinal County Attorney's Office.

“This was a calculated, premeditated act of murder that robbed a mother of her life and young children of their mother," Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller said in a statement.

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