Gwinnett Man Killed Wife, Dumped Body In Trash Bags

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A jury has found a Gwinnett County man guilty of killing his wife after she refused to have sex with him, then dumping her body in trash bags in the woods near his workplace.

Fernando Guzman-Perez was convicted on charges of murder and concealing the death of another. His victim, Yamilet Rodriguez-Vences, was found dead, wrapped in orange trash bags in a wooded area near Express Oil Change in Lawrenceville, on Oct. 15, 2015.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During the trial, a neighbor testified that he and Rodriguez-Vences left their workplace at All American Poly, in Lawrenceville, and arrived at the apartment complex on Huff Street where they both lived at about 12:15 a.m. on Oct. 6, 2015.

Victor Ruiz testified that he never saw her again after that.

Her sister, Oyuki, testified that she went to her sister's apartment on Oct. 12, 2015. She asked Guzman-Perez where she was and he told her that the couple had argued and she left. After several conversations, the two called police to report Rodriguez-Vences missing.

Two days later, detectives interviewed Guzman-Perez at his workplace. He said that after his wife got home, he tried to initiate sex with her but that she refused, putting four or five pillows between them in bed. He continued to press the issue and she got out of bed and got dressed, telling him she was leaving and would be back the next day.

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They continued to argue and, according to Guzman-Perez, she left, taking $1,700.

After Rodriguez-Vences' body was found, Guzman-Perez told investigators that, as she was leaving the apartment, he reached out to grab her arm, but that she tripped and fell down a flight of stairs. He said he thought her neck was broken and that he rushed to check on her, but felt no pulse.

He claimed that he then panicked and put her body in the orange trash bags. He said he put her body in the trunk of their car, then dumped it behind his workplace.

Gwinnett County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Carol Terry testified, however, that Rodriguez-Vences didn't have any broken bones. She said that, while it was impossible to determine the exact cause of death, one plastic bag had been taped around Rodriguez-Vences' neck and that asphyxiation couldn't be ruled out.

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