A 53-year-old identified as S. Cornejo is facing murder charges for allegedly stalking and fatally stabbing his longtime girlfriend outside her workplace. Cornejo was arrested and charged with the violent murder of 50-year-old A. Maya, whom he thought was cheating on him.
According to court records, Cornejo waited outside the restaurant, where Maya worked as a dishwasher, shortly before midnight on Saturday. He confronted her behind the restaurant while hiding nearby and carrying a knife in his waistband. According to investigators, when the disagreement became heated, Maya attempted to flee the restaurant, but Cornejo pursued her inside and stabbed her numerous times, fatally. When first responders came, paramedics pronounced Maya dead on the scene. Her coworkers, who were shocked and saddened by the violence, told local media that she had worked at the restaurant for a while and was well-liked.
The investigation swiftly took a nasty turn when investigators discovered that Cornejo had reportedly planted a monitoring device on Maya’s car and a listening device in her bedroom, claiming that he thought she was disloyal. Prosecutors stated this behavior demonstrated how calculated and aggressive the act was. Cornejo fled the scene after being stabbed but later called authorities and surrendered himself. After being read his rights, he confessed to the killing, and officials were able to recover the bloody knife from a nearby field, which was seen on surveillance video as he ditched the weapon.
During his initial court appearance, prosecutors called the attack “very aggressive” and “calculated.” A court concurred with their assessment, first putting Cornejo’s bond at $350,000 owing to the gravity of the offense. Despite the eventual reduction of the bond to $50,000, jail records indicate that Cornejo remains in detention. Cornejo, an El Salvador native, is also being held on an immigration detainer, according to authorities.
During the hearing, the public defense stated that Cornejo had freely turned himself in and cooperated with the investigation. However, the prosecution underlined the suspect’s deliberate planning and alarming monitoring tactics before the crime. Cornejo informed the court that he had lived in Texas for 17 years. His next court date is scheduled for August 19.
The tragedy has left the community astonished and in sadness over the death of Maya, a woman whose life was abruptly cut short in the place where she worked every day. The story is another tragic example of how distrust and unbridled envy may lead to irrevocable violence. The inquiry is still underway, with police attempting to piece together the date and scope of Cornejo’s surveillance and planning. For now, he stays in prison, accused of murder, as the court system considers the evidence of a highly troubling crime motivated by obsession and wrath.
