Staff report
KANNAPOLIS ó A 38-year-old man is charged with first-degree murder of his wife on Father’s Day.
Kannapolis Police charged Guillermo Esquivel, of 173 Fairmont Circle, Kannapolis, only a few hours after finding his wife’s body at their home.
Police received a 911 call at 5:35 a.m. Sunday reporting the discovery of a body.
Police found the body of Leidy Margarita Lopez-Esquivel, 32, in the living room of her home at 173 Fairmont Circle, which is off Little Texas Road on the east side of Kannapolis.
Her husband, and another male occupant of the house told police they had discovered the body in the house and called 911.
Lt. Ken Jackson, head of the department’s criminal investigation unit, said late Sunday night that it appears she died of some type of assault, based on wounds on the body.
The body has been sent to the N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office for a determination of the exact cause. Jackson said Lopez-Esquivel appears to have been dead for several hours before the 911 call.
Police secured the scene and obtained a search warrant before entering he residence and processing the scene.
Investigators also interviewed several potential witnesses in an effort to determine what led up the the woman’s death.
After extensive investigation including interviews with Esquivel, police determined they had probable cause to charge him with murder.
Jackson said there was no evidence of alcohol or other drugs involved. Police believe that the death resulted from domestic issues. Jackson said the couple have children, but none were at home when the killing occurred. The number of children and ages were not available.
Esquivel is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday in Cabarrus District Court. He is being held in the Cabarrus County Jail without bond.
Kannapolis Police Chief Woody Chavis praised the work of his officers for their quick and thorough efforts in the investigation.
Chavis noted that many of the officers spent Father’s Day at the murder scene and working the investigation and were able to clear the case in a matter of hours.