EDMONTON - Newly unsealed court documents obtained by the Journal have shed light on allegations of domestic violence suffered by Yeny Alfaro, whose husband was charged earlier this month with her murder.
Police discovered the body of Alfaro, 26, on July 21 inside the trailer the couple shared at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, near 66th Avenue and 17th Street. She had died of a stab wound the previous day. Her husband, 26-year-old Jimmy Rivas-Magana was charged with second-degree murder and possession of an offensive weapon in connection with the killing.
Police have said the case was the first domestic-violence related homicide this year.
Photos posted on Alfaro's Facebook page showed a seemingly happy newlywed couple. In one photo, Rivas-Magana leans in to kiss his wife's cheek, his arm around her waist.
"Best moment of my life! Married 3-1-13," the caption reads.
But court documents filed by detectives investigating Alfaro's killing paint a darker picture.
According to a police affidavit filed by a homicide detective on July 22, Alfaro's family had previously noticed signs of abuse and a pattern of controlling behaviour. The affidavit, which was obtained by the Journal after it was recently made public, is based on allegations collected through an initial investigation that have not been proven in court.
The couple, who wed in March 2013, met at the family's church, but changed congregations soon after they got together because Rivas-Magana "did not feel comfortable" around Alfaro's family, according to statements from the victim's sister in an interview with a detective on the case.
Alfaro, who worked as a health and safety manager at Sears, was "known to cover up bruises by wearing long-sleeve shirts," state the documents. When the couple went on a trip to Mexico together in 2012, two of Alfaro's sister said she returned with bruises that were the result of a fight.
Rivas-Magana "made up a story about having a concussion after the Mexico trip and stated that he didn't remember anything," the affidavit says. The documents say family members described the victim's husband as "very controlling" and "very abusive."
None of the alleged abuse had been reported to police prior to Alfaro's death.
Edmonton police were granted an arrest warrant for Rivas-Magana on July 25, but waited more than two weeks to take him into custody because the 26-year-old had suffered serious injuries in a crash just west of Calgary the same day officers discovered Alfaro's body.
According to the documents, Rivas-Magana admitted to hospital staff he attempted suicide by crashing his Mitsubishi Lancer off a cliff near Morley, about 60 kilometres west of Calgary. He was taken to the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, where he was treated for a fractured thoracic vertebrae.
He called his mother later that day.
"We were fighting," he told her.
Rivas-Magana's mother later contacted Edmonton police. Investigators found Alfaro dead inside the master bedroom of the trailer, and discovered two blood-stained knives elsewhere in the home.
Rivas-Magana missed his first court appearance on Aug. 9 because he was still recovering from his injuries. He remains in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre.
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