Inset, from left: Victor Farias Jr. of the Kern County District Attorney’s Office and Yolanda Rojo of GoFundMe. In the background, authorities respond to the apartment complex where Farias killed Rojo (KGET).
A 34-year-old California man could spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of killing the mother of his two young children, repeatedly stabbing the 30-year-old woman in the head while their children watched.
After a two-week trial, a Kern County jury on Friday found Victor Farias Jr. guilty of first-degree murder, child abuse and resisting arrest in the stabbing death of Yolanda Rojo, authorities said.
According to a press release from the Kern County District Attorney’s Office, Bakersfield police responded to a reported domestic dispute shortly before 10 p.m. on March 25 at the Shadow Ridge Apartments in the 7000 block of College Avenue. First responders found Rojo on the floor, covered in blood and suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Rojo still had a faint pulse when she was taken to Kern Medical, where she was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy found that Rojo had sustained more than 90 injuries, including “69 sharp force injuries on her head, neck, and back along with 23 stab wounds and numerous defensive wounds on her hands and arms,” the district attorney’s office said. Three stab wounds to her head fractured her skull.
The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 6, were inside the room during the attack.
The six-year-old tried to call police to help her mother, but Farias took the phone from her, according to the release. The child then ran from the home and, despite being chased by Farias, reached a neighbor for help.
Court documents obtained by Bakersfield CBS affiliate KBAK state that Rojo, who had been injured, told her daughter to run to a neighbor. A doorbell camera reportedly recorded the girl fleeing the apartment and shouting, “Stop! Stop doing that!” as Farias followed her.
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The girl and her younger sister made it to a neighbor, who contacted police, Bakersfield NBC affiliate KGET reported.
Earlier that evening, Farias had reportedly gone shopping with Rojo and their daughters before returning to Rojo’s apartment. After the killing, he fled in a black Nissan Altima, which later crashed into a big rig on Highway 58.
Farias fled the crash scene and disappeared into the Tehachapi Mountains. Authorities found him in Tehachapi on March 26. Prosecutors said he initially gave officers a false name and resisted arrest.
At trial, prosecutors argued that the extent and severity of Rojo’s injuries demonstrated Farias intended to kill the mother of his children.
Farias’ defense attorney reportedly admitted that Farias was responsible for the stabbing but argued for a second-degree murder conviction, contending that the attack was impulsive and not premeditated.
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer issued a statement following the verdict.
“Victor Farias took Yolanda’s life believing he could silence her and conceal the truth,” Zimmer said. “However, through the courage of her young children and the evidence recovered at the crime scene, Farias was ultimately found guilty of her premeditated murder, ensuring that Yolanda and her children obtained the justice they deserve.”
Farias is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2. He faces a prison term of 25 years to life.
