Background: Prosecutors displayed a photo in court depicting Erick Hernandez Mendez, left, next to his wife and victim, Christina Matos (YouTube screenshot/WRAL). Inset: Erick Hernandez-Mendez booking photo (Raleigh Police Department).
A man in North Carolina who fatally stabbed a woman in the neck 16 times only days after marrying her to obtain legal immigration status has been sentenced to life in prison.
It took a jury just a few hours to convict Erick Hernandez-Mendez of Raleigh, North Carolina. His victim, Christina Matos, was found dead inside of her apartment in April 2021.
Matos, who was just 20 years old at the time of her death, was a radiology student at Wake Technical Community College. After she was first reported dead, family and friends told CBS affiliate WNCN that Matos and Hernandez-Mendez had known each before getting married when they were living in Clayton, North Carolina, and then later, became friendly as college students.
At the time of her death nearly three years ago, Matos’ father said he hadn’t even realized his daughter got married.
At trial, Hernandez-Mendez testified that he did not stab the young woman to death in the apartment they shared only days after their marriage. Rather, he blamed their roommate, Kailey Lynch-Firicano, for the slaying.
Firicano was ultimately charged with obstruction of justice and felony accessory to murder after the fact. Hernandez-Mendez told jurors Firicano was jealous of their marriage, local NBC affiliate WRAL reported.
When he was interviewed by Raleigh police in 2021, the man said he and Matos kept their nuptials secret because “that is who Christina was” and she did not “do her business out there.”
He was undocumented, he said, and the marriage was a way to “help each other out.”
He also told police Matos was a go-go dancer and stripper and that he believed he could help her “change.”
“My goal was to fix her,” he said in 2021.
A photo of Christina Matos displayed during closing arguments in a North Carolina courtroom on March 13, 2024 (YouTube screengrab/WRAL).
At trial, however, Hernandez-Mendez — who attended a vigil for Matos just days after killing her — testified that he was gay and that he offered to his friend $15,000 for the marriage.
But during closing arguments, prosecutors described a much different story, saying Hernandez-Mendez grew jealous and resentful, and as the friendship soured he never coughed up the cash.
Prosecutors said text messages showed Matos asking him about repayment often, irking Hernandez-Mendez. They also said when she would bring male guests to the apartment, it infuriated him and fed into his jealousy. One message Matos sent in particular showed exactly how she viewed Hernandez-Mendez, prosecutors said.
“Tbh Erick,” Matos wrote, using shorthand for “to be honest.” “I’m only doing strictly business with you don’t talk to me at all unless you need to me for something specific.”
Text message sent to Erick Hernandez-Mendez by Christina Matos days before her murder. YouTube screengrab WRAL.
Evidence was also presented at trial showing internet searches Hernandez-Mendez conducted where he looked up ways a person could still earn their immigration status if their citizen spouse had died, WNCN reported.
Members of Matos’ family were present at sentencing this week, including her mother and father, Yolanda and Gerardo Matos. After the judge handed down a life sentence, through an interpreter, Gerardo Matos addressed Hernandez-Mendez directly.
“Today, justice was done for Christina. This gentleman deserves to be in hell,” he said.
Yolanda Matos would not even call him an animal “because sometimes an animal has compassion,” ABC affiliate WTVD reported.
Matos’ brother, Arbaham Matos, told the man he was a “traitor to your kind” and a “killer to the Hispanic community.”
A lawyer for Hernandez-Mendez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
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