Mother of 5 found badly stabbed in Texas home, cops say. Husband accused of murder

A man is accused of fatally stabbing his wife and another man in a Texas home, authorities say.

Jesse Leal Sr. is now charged with capital murder following the Nov. 29 stabbings in Jacinto City, according to a Dec. 1 news release from the Jacinto City Police Department.

Officers were dispatched to a home shortly before 10 p.m. the day after Thanksgiving and found two people with multiple stab wounds, police said.

Randall Pannell was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Stephanie Leal was taken to a hospital, where she died.

Stephanie Leal was a mother of five, according to a GoFundMe.

The alleged stabbing took place in front of her children, KPRC reported, citing police. The children are now in custody of the mother’s parents, the GoFundMe says.

Police said Jesse Leal fled before officers arrived, but he was later taken into custody. Interviewed by authorities, he admitted to stabbing both victims, according to police.

He told police he stabbed his wife first, then Pannell when he intervened, according to KPRC.

“You gave your life trying to help your friend,” a friend of Pannell’s said in a Facebook post.

A motive for the stabbings was not specified.

Jacinto City is about a 10-mile drive east from downtown Houston.

This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Mother of 5 found badly stabbed in Texas home, cops say. Husband accused of murder."