A Pasadena man was given two life sentences Tuesday after pleading guilty to beating and fatally stabbing his pregnant wife just 17 hours after being released from jail for an earlier assault on her, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.
“He is clearly a danger to everyone around him and this case, maybe more than any other case in the criminal courthouse, highlights the dangers and the red flags of domestic violence,” Ogg said. “He tortured and killed an animal, there were prior beatings, then a severe beating before he was released on bond to murder the victim as brutally as possible.”
Alex Daniel Guajardo, 27, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder for stabbing Caitlynne Rose Infinger Guajardo and their unborn son at their Pasadena home on Aug. 3, 2019.
Two days before the murder, Caitlynne Guajardo had called police to have her husband arrested for punching her in the face. He had also tortured and killed their cat.
Alex Guajardo was booked into the Harris County Jail, but then freed on a personal recognizance bond. About 17 hours after his release, he killed his pregnant wife.
He was then re-arrested by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and has remained behind bars since the slayings. Two months after his arrest, he was caught in the jail with two shanks (homemade knives) — one in his sock and another in his cell. He was charged with having a deadly weapon in a penal institution, a third-degree felony.
Guajardo pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of murder and to possession of a deadly weapon in exchange for two life sentences and 10 years in prison.
The victim’s mother and sister gave victim impact statements in open court. They also spoke outside the courtroom about their frustration that Caitlynne should have been safe from her husband.
“Caitlynne did what she was supposed to do — she had him arrested, and the justice system failed her,” said Melanie Infinger, the victim’s mother. “She was a hero, she stood up to him and it was supposed to be over. But the justice system let him out, and he brutally killed her.”
Assistant District Attorney Mary McFaden, who is the Division Chief of the Domestic Violence Division, handled the case with ADA Lindsey Bondurant, who is a Chief in the Domestic Violence Division.
“Although we can never bring back the victims, we worked to get justice for them, and hopefully this will help to bring some peace to their family,” McFaden said.
Guajardo’s two life sentences and 10 years in prison will run concurrently.
