Orange County District Attorney
10/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/27/2026 18:26
Man Charged with Murder for Stabbing Romantic Rival to Death with a Pocketknife after Coming Home from Work Early to Find Man in Defendant’s Bed with his Wife, Two Young Children
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 27, 2026 Case # 26NF5484 |
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Man Charged with Murder for Stabbing Romantic Rival to Death
with a Pocketknife after Coming Home from Work Early to
Find Man in Defendant's Bed with his Wife, Two Young Children
SANTA ANA, Calif. - An Anaheim man has been charged with murder for stabbing a romantic rival to death with a pocketknife after coming home from work early to find the man in his underwear in bed with the defendant's wife along with his two young children.
Ismael Pinedalopez, 34, of Anaheim has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon. Lopez faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life if convicted on all counts. He is scheduled to be arraigned today.
On Saturday, October 24, 2026, Anaheim police received a call regarding a stabbing at a home in the 700 block of N. Pine Street and found a bloodied Pinedalopez. Police found the body of 28-year-old Nicholas Garcia inside the bedroom Pinedalopez shared with his wife and their two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son. Garcia had been stabbed multiple times.
Pinedalopez' wife and two children were not hurt.
"Violence is never the answer, and it is truly heartbreaking that these young children had to witness their father commit such a horrific act of brutality in their own home," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
Click here for full press release.
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