A Connecticut man has been sentenced to three decades in prison after admitting he stabbed his girlfriend to death inside his car in 2023.
Pedro Grajales, 55, of Hartford, was sentenced to 30 years in prison last week after pleading guilty to murder in December, according to court records. Prosecutors said Grajales killed 57-year-old Nilda Rivera of New Britain in April 2023 after becoming convinced she had been unfaithful.
According to an arrest warrant cited by local outlets, Grajales stabbed Rivera “upwards of 25 times” while she sat in the front passenger seat of his car.
Planned Killing After “Final Meal”
Investigators said Grajales took Rivera to a McDonald’s on Brainard Road in Hartford before the attack, describing it as a “final meal.” The couple ordered food through the drive-thru and parked so Rivera could eat before Grajales drove to a nearby secluded lot.
Police allege Grajales had concealed a knife in his pants pocket prior to picking Rivera up and had been planning the killing for several days. The warrant states he moved his seat back to create space, pulled out the knife and began stabbing her repeatedly.
Authorities said Grajales later told police he watched Rivera struggle to breathe and waited for her to die before driving her body to the Hartford Police Department and confessing.
Family Describes Jealous Behavior
Rivera’s family told reporters after the killing that Grajales had been “very jealous,” allegedly monitoring her phone and social media accounts.
“My mom was just looking for love,” her daughter, Daniella Valle, said at the time. “She was a mother. She was a grandmother. She was a friend.”
Grajales’ 30-year sentence follows his guilty plea to murder and brings the criminal case to a close.
