Perth Amboy Man Charged For Killing Wife In Front Of Kids Saturday Morning

Sunday, September 22, 2024, 5:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

PERTH AMBOY, NJ.- An apparent domestic dispute tragically turned deadly early Saturday morning when a Perth Amboy, New Jersey, man brutally stabbed his 40-year-old wife to death in front of her children inside their Perth Amboy home.

     According to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, on Saturday, September 21, 2024, just shortly before 3:00 a.m., members of the Perth Amboy Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a stabbing inside a residence located on Bertrand Avenue in the City of Perth Amboy.

Victim Found

     Upon arrival, Police Officers discovered a man and a woman lying on the kitchen floor. The woman, identified as Rosana Rodriquez, 40, of Perth Amboy, appeared to have been stabbed. Responding Police Officers rendered aid, and Ms. Rodriguez was transported to Hackensack Meridian Hospital Raritan Bay Medical Center, where, despite life-saving efforts, Ms. Rodriguez succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased a short time later.

     The man, Wellinton Leonardo, Ms. Rodriguez’s husband, was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries.

     An initial investigation by Detective Danny Hernandez of the Perth Amboy Police Department and Michelle Coppola of the Perth Amboy Police Department revealed that Ms. Roriguez and Wellinton were husband and with and that the stabbing was not a random act of violence, and the fatal stabbing was the result of an apparent dispute between the two.

Charges Filed Against Husband

     Accordingly, on Saturday, later in the day, Wellinton was formally charged with first-degree Murder; one count of second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, as the stabbing death took place in front of children.

     The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding the death of Ms. Rodriguez is urged to contact Detective Hernandez of the Perth Amboy Police Department at (732) 324-3805 or Detective Michelle Coppola of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4377. All calls will be kept confidential.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”