The 50-year-sentence of a restaurant worker convicted of drowning his wife in their Morristown bathtub has been upheld by a state appeals court, according to The Daily Record.
Kleber Cordova, now 35, was convicted of the 2008 murder of Eliana Torres, 26, during an argument. The drowning partially was witnessed by their then-8-year-old daughter.
Cordova’s appeal contended that he was denied a speedy trial, the sentence was vindictive and excessive, and the jury should have been instructed to consider that the drowning was accidental, the paper reported.
But the appellate court bought none of those arguments, citing conflicting stories from Cordova.
During the trial, the judge noted how Cordova could have stopped the killing when his daughter entered the bathroom. Instead, he sent her back to her room and the drowning continued, the paper reported.
In addition to murder, Cordova was convicted of endangering the welfare of his daughter, lying and evidence-tampering, according to the newspaper.
