SAN BERNARDINO >> A man who eluded capture for two months after fatally beating and stabbing his estranged wife learned his fate as his trial ended Monday.
Nearly two years to the day the crime was committed, Eldy Atherly, 31, stood in front of a Judge in San Bernardino County Superior Court while being read the jury’s verdict.
A jury found Edly Atherley guilty of second degree murder in the 2013 slaying of his wife, 28-year-old Ashley Atherley.
On December 1, police were called to check on the welfare of Ashley Atherly at a home she shared with her husband in the 2600 block of West College Avenue.
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When officers arrived they found Ashley Atherly dead in the bathroom, but there was no sign of her husband.
She suffered from five blunt force trauma wounds to her face, including a fractured nose, a puncture wound to her back and a large stab wound to her neck.
Prosecutors said the weapon used to kill Ashley Atherly, a large kitchen knife, was found inside the apartment.
Shortly thereafter, San Bernardino police held a news conference on the steps of police headquarters to seek public help in finding Eldy Atherly.
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San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos attended the conference and announced that Eldy Atherley had been charged with murder.
“I still remember standing on the steps of the San Bernardino Police Department beside Ashley’s parents and vowing to seek justice for Ashley, her parents, and her two little girls who are now left without a mother,” Ramos said. “While today’s verdict cannot change the past or lessen the pain Ashley’s family must feel, justice has been served.”
In January 2014, Eldy Atherley surrendered to authorities in Florida and was eventually extradited to California to face murder charges.
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Eldy Atherley, who faces 16 years to life in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 23.