Wife tried to stab husband twice, prosecutor says

The wife of slain Kaneohe Marine Sgt. Juan Iturbide tried to stab her husband twice, connecting on the second attempt, Deputy Prosecutor Tiffany Kaeo told a state judge Thursday.

Kaeo made the comments after an Oahu grand jury returned an indictment charging Evelin Iturbide with murder.

Iturbide, 23, has been in custody since her arrest just after midnight Monday. Circuit Judge Colette Garibaldi confirmed her bail at $750,000.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner says Juan Iturbide, 24, died from a stab wound to his chest.

Kaeo told Garibaldi that the Iturbides had been drinking and arguing Saturday night. During the argument Evelin threw a bowl at her husband, shattering the bowl.

As the argument continued, Evelin then grabbed a bread knife with a blade approximately 8 inches long, missed on her first attempt, then stabbed her husband in the chest, Kaeo said. Juan Iturbide staggered and called out for help. A roommate called 911.

Honolulu police answered the call at the Iturbides’ apartment on Ala Kupuna Street in Moanalua. They said Evelin initially told one of the responding officers that she heard yelling near the front door as she was putting their baby to sleep, then found her husband bleeding on the floor. Police said Evelin later told the same officer that she stabbed her husband after he choked her while they were drinking.