A convicted felon was ordered held without bail Tuesday after a prosecutor alleged he stabbed his girlfriend 22 times with a steak knife.
Hector Rivera was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 27 death of Erenbira Pimentel-Hernandez. Police said he attacked the woman -- his girlfriend -- during an argument in a stairwell near where she was working in the 4700 block of North Lawndale Avenue, said Assistant State’s Attorney Glen Runk.
A witness told officers Rivera threatened to "get" her if she called police.
A Cook County Medical Examiner's Office spokesperson said the 38-year-old Pimentel-Hernandez died at a hospital a few hours after the attack. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Police arrested 55-year-old Rivera on Sunday after he had fled to Indiana and returned. He was being held at the Cook County Jail. Online jail records didn't indicate an attorney.
Rivera, a factory worker, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1989 for attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery and armed violence.
Pimentel-Hernandez was a home health care worker who enjoyed cooking and traveling, according to her Facebook page.
