Elementary school worker fatally stabbed at work by estranged husband, TN cops say

A woman was stabbed to death by her estranged husband lying in wait outside the Tennessee elementary school where she worked, police said.

A co-worker of Niurka Alfonso-Acevedo found her dead in the parking lot of Chadwell Elementary School the morning of April 14, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

Authorities have now issued an arrest warrant on a criminal homicide charge against her estranged husband, 54-year-old Candido Raul Rubio-Perez.

Alfonso-Acevedo, a custodian, got to work before students on Monday morning, but her estranged husband was already there, police said in a news release.

Investigators said Rubio-Perez ambushed the 52-year-old woman in the parking lot. He’s accused of stabbing her to death and fleeing the scene.

Another staff member arrived at around 6 a.m. and called 911 after finding Alfonso-Acevedo lying in the parking lot, officers said.

That same afternoon, investigators announced they were looking to arrest Rubio-Perez on a homicide warrant and asked anyone with information to contact the police department.

“Metro Nashville Public Schools is deeply saddened by a tragic incident that occurred early this morning when a custodial contractor, Niurka Alfonso-Acevedo, who served as the day porter at Chadwell Elementary since October, lost her life in what police believe to be a domestic violence-related act,” a spokesperson for the district told McClatchy News in an email.

The students were relocated to another school for the day, but officials said there was no ongoing threat to students or staff.

This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Elementary school worker fatally stabbed at work by estranged husband, TN cops say."