PERTH AMBOY, N.J. — A Perth Amboy man has been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of his wife, authorities announced Tuesday. The incident, which occurred in the early morning hours of September 21, is under investigation by the Perth Amboy Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
At approximately 2:57 a.m., officers responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing on Bertrand Avenue. Upon arrival, police found Rosana Rodriguez, 40, and her husband, Wellinton Leonardo, lying on the kitchen floor. Rodriguez appeared to have been stabbed. She was transported to Hackensack Meridian Hospital Raritan Bay Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Leonardo was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment. Authorities determined that the stabbing was not a random act and that the couple were married.
Leonardo, 41, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, as the crime took place in the presence of children.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities are asking anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area to contact Detective Danny Hernandez of the Perth Amboy Police Department at 732-324-3805 or Detective Michelle Coppola of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3477.
