‘My dad is trying to stab my mom.’ Man accused of killing wife in Perth Amboy ordered to remain jailed

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A superior court judge in Middlesex County has ruled that a man accused of fatally stabbing his wife in Perth Amboy last month will remain jailed until his trial. Wellinton Leonardo appeared in court via video link for a hearing concerning his detention and probable cause in his case. Assistant Prosecutor Brian Shevlin won his bid to keep Leonardo behind bars. “A murder in front of your children is utterly monstrous. And what we do with monsters, judge, is lock them up,” Shevlin said. Leonardo is charged with stabbing his wife Rosana Rodriguez 12 times inside the family's home along Bertrand Avenue in Perth Amboy. At the time of the attack, the couple’s four daughters were inside the home. The youngest is an 11-month-old. It was learned in Friday’s hearing that it was the 13-year-old who saw her mother being stabbed in the kitchen and called the police. RELATED: Funeral held for Perth Amboy mother allegedly stabbed by husband RELATED: Community holds vigil in honor of Perth Amboy woman allegedly killed by husband A portion of the 911 call was played. The operator asks, “What’s going on there?” The teen responds, "My dad is trying to stab my mom.” As they are speaking, those in the courtroom could hear the mother screaming for help. At which point the operator says, “I need you to stay in the room with your little sister...Go in the room with your sister and lock the door.” A few minutes pass by, and the operator states, “I want you to open the window to the room you’re in and call out to the officers, OK?” While that was played, Leonardo could be seen on a courtroom monitor visibly sobbing. According to the police affidavit, Rodriguez had recently told Leonardo that she wanted a divorce. When given the chance, Leonardo’s attorney argued for his release. “Although he’s charged with murder there’s a real defense of self-defense based on the evidence...I noticed what are defense wounds on his hands and arms,” said defense attorney Daniel Gonzalez. However, the prosecution was quick to answer and said, “When someone is stabbed in the back judge, that is not self-defense.” Leonardo is charged with murder, possession of a weapon and child endangerment. He will be back in court in November. "