NJ woman violently murdered by husband in front of kids, prosecutors say

🔴 Police find husband and wife on kitchen floor

🔴 Kids were present in the home, prosecutors said

🔴 GoFundMe says she had 4 daughters

PERTH AMBOY — A Middlesex County man is charged with first-degree murder, according to authorities.

Prosecutors said police found Wellinton Leonardo and his wife on the floor of their kitchen early Saturday morning.

Perth Amboy police officers arrived at the home on Bertrand Avenue around 3 a.m., according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. Someone had called 911 to report a stabbing.

Rosana Rodriguez, 40, of Perth Amboy, had been stabbed. She was pronounced dead at the hospital soon after.

Leonardo was also hospitalized though authorities didn't say what kind of injuries he had.

Investigators said Leonardo had killed his wife and that it was not a random act of violence.

Along with murder, Leonardo is charged with second-degree child endangerment. Children were in the home when the stabbing happened, prosecutors said.

He is also charged with weapons offenses.

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GoFundMe seeks to support four daughters

According to a GoFundMe, Rodriguez was the mother to four girls. They are ages 13, 11, 3, and 11 months.

The fundraiser says it will pay for funeral expenses and support the children who now don't have their mother.

It had raised $7,900 in less than 24 hours as of midday Sunday.

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