New details released in Kings County murder, attempted suicide case

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators in the South Valley are still piecing together clues in a murder and attempted suicide case.

Kings County Sheriff's deputies say an all-night party at a house on Jackson Avenue near 15th ended just before 7 a.m. Sunday with a woman stabbed to death. Her husband is the suspect.

Dozens of people were still on the property near Hanford when the couple and their 7-year-old son left to go home just north of the party.

"Within a short period of time after they went back to their house he came running out to the other party-goers and said his mother was being attacked by his father," said Kings County Assistant Sheriff Dave Putnam.

Putnam says at that point, people at the party rushed to help 44-year-old Mary Mejia, who was bleeding to death after being stabbed multiple times by her husband, 37-year-old Jose Filiberto Hernandez. Then, deputies say, the husband tried to take his own life.

"They actually witnessed the male subject attempt to slice his throat, and they had to intervene yet again at that point and try to take the knife away from him," said Putnam.

Investigators don't know what sparked the fight. The victim is a member of the Tachi tribe, but the couple does not live on the Santa Rosa Rancheria Reservation.

At first, deputies had trouble confirming the suspect's name. People at the party called him different names, and he doesn't have a driver's license. Late Monday afternoon, they confirmed he is Jose Filiberto Hernandez.

"The suspect the latest word we have is that he's expected to survive. And we thought he was going to be released from the hospital today, but the latest word today is it may be longer," said Putnam.

Investigators say dozens of people were at the party. They're still working to interview most of them to find out what exactly led to this crime.

When Hernandez is released from the hospital this week he will be booked into the Kings County Jail to face murder charges.