Hanford man sentenced to 26 years to life for murder

A Hanford man was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison Tuesday after murdering a mother in her home and telling her 9-year-old son to leave the room so he could commit the crime, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.

Jose Filiberto Hernandez, 37, was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder in May of Hanford native Mary Mejia after a trial in Kings County Superior Court.

According to the DA’s Office, on July 13, 2014, after a family birthday party, Hernandez returned home with Mejia and their son and got into a minor argument. Hernandez then retrieved a knife, began stabbing Mejia, and told their son to leave the room because he was going to kill his mother. The son alerted family members who found Mejia bleeding from a neck wound. She died from her injuries minutes later.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Hanford man sentenced to 26 years to life for murder."