A man who is accused of stabbing his wife to death in their apartment in Massachusetts could be removed from the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed an immigration detainer on him.
Ilton Rodrigues, a 48-year-old citizen of Brazil, who was living illegally in Stoughton, is accused of stabbing his wife to death at their apartment in front of their two children on May 3.
Man accused of killing wife in Massachusetts living in the country illegally: ICE – Fox News https://t.co/rSa8W0uPjV
— Massachusetts News (@MassachusetNews) May 10, 2019
His wife, 43-year-old Telma Bras, was discovered dead of apparent stab wounds when police arrived at the couple’s home at Bennett Drive, Stoughton.
Rodrigues pleaded not guilty on May 6 to a murder charge during an arraignment from a hospital in Boston where he was taken with life-threatening injuries. He allegedly attempted to take his own life following the fatal attack, reported Fox News.
The 48-year-old was found near Bras with a knife protruding from his body according to prosecutors, Mass Live reported. He then underwent surgery at the Boston hospital.
Ilton Rodrigues of Stoughton stabbed his wife to death before trying to kill himself, according to the Norfolk DA. https://t.co/7W6ZAcbXHl pic.twitter.com/PRtxQIvGRo
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) May 4, 2019
At the time of the attack, the couple’s two children, a 7-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl, were at home. They were not injured in the attack, but are traumatized, police said.
Police were alerted to the fatal stabbing when the teenager called a family member after hearing a commotion at home, who then called 911.
A #stoughton mom is dead and her husband facing murder charges after police say 48 year old Ilton Rodrigues stabbed his wife, 43 year old Telma Bras to death while their children were in the apartment. The latest at 6 @boston25 pic.twitter.com/9hlQczLbiD
— Crystal Haynes (@crystalhaynes) May 4, 2019
Rodrigues could now face deportation when criminal charges against him end, as ICE has said they placed an immigration detainer on him.
“ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations lodged an immigration detainer with the Norfolk County House of Corrections on Ilton Furtado Rodrigues, a citizen of Brazil charged with murder,” ICE spokesman John Mohan wrote in an email, reported Mass Live.
“ICE will seek his removal pending the outcome of the criminal charges he faces,” he added.
PHOTOS: @StoughtonPD busted this glass door last night after they received a 911 call about a domestic incident. They found Telma Bras, 43, dead inside her apartment. Her husband, Ilton Rodrigues, 48, will likely face a murder charge, investigators said. #NBC10Boston #NECN pic.twitter.com/pGvDcWzU5t
— Mike Manzoni NBC10 Boston (@MikeNBCBoston) May 4, 2019
ICE did not state when Rodrigues first arrived in the United States.
The 48-year-old has no criminal records and it was the first time Stoughton Police had never been called to the couple’s apartment previously, said Police Chief Donna McNamara.
ICE will seek to remove a man from the country after he was accused of stabbing his wife to death. https://t.co/KNOXfScqjG
— masslivenews (@masslivenews) May 9, 2019
McNamara added it is difficult to imagine what the two children “had to go through.”
The death is “the most tragic of results,” especially for the children, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey told the Herald on May 4.
The motive behind the killing is still unclear, and is under investigation by Stoughton police, the Mail Online reported.
Rodrigues remains in police custody and is expected to appear in Stoughton District Court on June 11.
