The Annamarie Jeitani stabbing case ended with the San Antonio woman pleading guilty to murdering her husband, 29-year-old Toni Jeitani, whom she stabbed 17 times at their Bexar County home on December 4, 2013. She was sentenced on February 11, 2016, to 25 years in Texas prison and must serve at least half before she is eligible for parole.1San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison
What Happened the Night of the Stabbing
Bexar County sheriff’s deputies were called to a domestic disturbance in the 17000 block of Branson Falls in far northwest Bexar County just before 10 p.m. on December 4, 2013.2KSAT. Man Dies After Stabbing in Northwest Bexar County According to Bexar County Sheriff’s Lt. Philip Dreyer, Annamarie Jeitani, then 38, and Toni Jeitani, 29, had been arguing, and when Toni tried to leave the house, she stabbed him 17 times in the upper body to stop him from going.3MySanAntonio. Man Dead After Stabbing The couple’s three-year-old daughter witnessed the attack.1San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison
A police report noted that three of the 17 stab wounds were inflicted as emergency responders were arriving at the scene.4KSAT. Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison Toni Jeitani was taken to University Hospital, where he died. Annamarie was charged with murder on a $250,000 bond.3MySanAntonio. Man Dead After Stabbing
Guilty Plea and 25-Year Sentence
Annamarie Jeitani pleaded guilty to murder under a plea bargain. On February 11, 2016, State District Judge Steven Hilbig sentenced her to 25 years, with the condition that she serve at least half before becoming parole-eligible.1San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison She was 41 at the time.
The hearing was heavy with victim impact testimony. Toni’s father, Alfred Jeitani, pointed at Annamarie and told her she had “destroyed” the emotional well-being of the couple’s two daughters, saying “I curse you” and wishing “terrible things” on her.4KSAT. Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison His mother, Jamal Jeitani, called Annamarie “the devil in the body of a woman” and said she would pray that she would “rot in your prison cell,” pledging that the family would raise the couple’s children “with all the love in the world.”1San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison
Annamarie’s oldest son, Christian Ramirez, offered a different account, telling the court his stepfather had “at times” been violent toward his mother. “I loved him too, but I can’t pretend he was the man that they are making him seem,” he said.1San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison
The Attempt to Withdraw the Plea
Weeks after sentencing, Jeitani tried to undo the deal. In April 2016, she moved for a new trial before Judge Hilbig, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel. She testified that her attorneys, David Christian and Pat Hancock, had not discussed trial strategy with her and had focused only on the plea bargain. “I am not guilty of what they’re saying I did in cold blood,” she told the court. “I am guilty of defending my life and my children’s.”5KSAT. Woman Who Killed Husband Denied New Trial
Christian testified he had reviewed the case thoroughly and believed the plea was in her best interest. He denied coercing her, though he acknowledged she had been under “an immense amount of pressure.” Hilbig denied the motion.5KSAT. Woman Who Killed Husband Denied New Trial
Jeitani appealed to the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio, raising the same voluntariness and counsel arguments. In a memorandum opinion on July 27, 2016, the court dismissed the appeal, holding that those issues could not be brought on direct appeal from a plea-bargained conviction and would have to be pursued through habeas corpus. The court also noted she had signed a waiver of appeal as part of the plea.6Findlaw. Jeitani v. State, No. 04-16-00098-CR
Who Got the Life Insurance Money
Toni Jeitani’s death also produced a civil case over a $100,000 life insurance policy. Annamarie had been the primary beneficiary, but her guilty plea to murder disqualified her. In June 2016, Dearborn National Life Insurance Company filed an interpleader action in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to have the court decide who should receive the proceeds.7GovInfo. Dearborn National Life Insurance Company v. Alfred Jeitani, et al.
Judge David A. Ezra found Dearborn a disinterested stakeholder and awarded it $5,030 for attorney’s fees and court costs. The remaining $94,970 was awarded for the benefit of Sydney Jeitani, the young daughter who had witnessed the stabbing, with the funds placed with her temporary joint sole managing conservators. The court dismissed the case while keeping jurisdiction to oversee later disbursements.7GovInfo. Dearborn National Life Insurance Company v. Alfred Jeitani, et al.
When She Becomes Parole Eligible
Annamarie Salinas Jeitani is serving her 25-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Because the plea requires her to complete at least half the sentence first, her earliest parole eligibility falls around 2028 or 2029.1San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio Woman Who Stabbed Husband 17 Times Sentenced to Prison