Santos Felipe Reyes Valle
FREDERICK, Md. - A Maryland man will spend life in prison for stabbing a man to death inside a Home Depot store, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday.
What we know:
A judge sentenced Santos Felipe Reyes Valle to life in prison on Tuesday.
The attack happened back on May 17, 2023. That day, officers were called out to the Home Depot store on North McCain Drive after reports of a man lying on the ground unresponsive.
When they got there, they found Jose Pedro Hernandez had been stabbed in the neck and was covered in blood. Paramedics took him to the hospital, where he died.
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Witnesses told officers that they had seen a man they identified as Felipe holding a knife, and that he seemed drunk. Officers searched the area, and found a bloody knife in the woods near where they eventually found Valle.
According to officials, Valle's clothes were wet, and he had scratches on his face and arms.
Forensic teams found Pedro's DNA and Valle's fingerprints on the knife.
What they're saying:
State's Attorney Charlie Smith said that his team "put in substantial effort in order to get this murderer a substantial sentence," adding that the life sentence "achieves both justice for the victims and our community."
At the sentencing on Tuesday, Pedro's family told the court that they still "don't know why he was taken from us and I want the defendant to never get out of jail."
The Source: Information in this story is from the U.S. Attorney's Office.