Woman Sentenced For Boyfriend's Stabbing Death In Escondido

ESCONDIDO, CA — A woman who fatally stabbed her boyfriend at their Escondido apartment was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years to life in state prison.

Shelley Reaves, 54, pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder count and an allegation of using a knife in the Dec. 22, 2020, slaying of 63-year-old Rafael Octavio Choza.

Escondido police received a call just after 7 that night from a woman who said her roommate was dead.

Officers responded to the apartment in the 600 block of North Quince Street and found Choza "unresponsive with obvious signs of trauma." Choza, who had been stabbed multiple times, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Along with murder, Reaves was also initially charged with felony domestic violence in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred five days before Choza's death. Choza was also the listed victim for the domestic violence count.

Police said that prior to her arrest in the murder, she had been recently arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse, but was released after posting bond.

— City News Service