A Perth Amboy, New Jersey man has been sentenced to two decades in prison after a jury found him guilty of killing his wife inside their family home, according to court records.
Wellington Leonardo, 47, was convicted of manslaughter by passion or provocation in the death of 39-year-old Rosanna Rodriguez. He received a 20-year sentence on Wednesday but may become eligible for parole after completing 85% of that term. The jury cleared him of the more serious murder charge.
Court documents state that Rodriguez had recently informed Leonardo she intended to end their marriage. Just days before what would have been her 40th birthday, she was fatally stabbed in the kitchen of the couple’s home in the early morning hours of September 21, 2024.
According to authorities, the couple’s eldest daughter — 13 at the time — woke to her mother’s screams around 3 a.m. and discovered her father attacking her mother with a knife. Rodriguez managed to tell her daughter to call for emergency help before the teen dialed 911, alerting dispatchers that her father was harming her mother.
Police said the 911 dispatcher instructed the girl to gather her three younger sisters, ages 11, 3, and 11 months, and shelter in a locked room until officers arrived, signaling for help through a window.
Investigators say the teenager briefly returned to the kitchen and attempted to intervene by throwing an object at her father, who did not react, before she retreated and secured her siblings inside her mother’s bedroom.
When officers reached the residence, they reportedly found both Leonardo and Rodriguez on the kitchen floor, both covered in blood. Leonardo was hospitalized for treatment, while Rodriguez was transported to a separate medical facility, where she was later pronounced dead.
Beyond the manslaughter conviction, Leonardo was also found guilty on weapons charges and felony child endangerment, according to court filings.