Ana Trujillo

Case overview

Ana Trujillo was convicted of murder for fatally stabbing her boyfriend with a stiletto heel of her shoe during an argument at his Houston condominium. The sentencing followed the conviction.

Timeline

• June 9, 2013 — Alf Stefan Andersson died after being stabbed at least 25 times in the face and head with a stiletto heel at his Houston condominium.
• April 2, 2014 — A police interrogation video was played for jurors in which Ana Trujillo told detectives she believed Andersson attacked her first and that she did not realize she had hurt him until she saw blood.
• March 31, 2014 — Testimony continued in the trial.
• April 8, 2014 — Jurors convicted Ana Trujillo of murder; she mouthed the words “I love you” to her family as she was escorted out of the courtroom.
• April 10, 2014 — Ana Trujillo testified in the punishment phase while physically reenacting the fight.
• April 11, 2014 — Ana Trujillo was sentenced to life in prison.

Background

Ana Trujillo was a Houston woman convicted of killing her boyfriend, Alf Stefan Andersson, with a stiletto heel. Andersson was described as a University of Houston professor and researcher and as a U.S. citizen. Trujillo was described as 45 years old and native of Mexico.

Trujillo claimed throughout the trial that she was defending herself from an attack by Andersson. Prosecutors argued that Trujillo’s killing was a vicious murder and that she tried to ruin Andersson’s character during trial by falsely claiming he had abused her. During closing arguments, prosecutor John Jordan asked jurors for the maximum sentence of life in prison.

The offence

Trujillo stabbed Andersson at least 25 times in the face with a 5½-inch stiletto and also struck him at least 25 times in the face and head. The weapon was described as a cobalt blue platform pump and as a navy suede shoe with a 5½-inch heel. A blue suede stiletto heel was described as a size 9 platform pump. Prosecutors said the left shoe was covered with blood and strands of Andersson’s hair, while the mate used in demonstrations was spotless.

In trial testimony and arguments, the attack occurred during an argument at Andersson’s Houston condominium. Trujillo’s defense was that the stabbing was self-defense during a fight after Andersson allegedly attacked her. Prosecutors described the act as a murder in which Trujillo pinned him down and repeatedly stabbed him with her shoe while he never fought back.

Investigation

A police interrogation video was played for jurors. In the video, Ana Trujillo told detectives the couple returned to Andersson’s condominium following a night of drinking and that they began arguing after Andersson said he was jealous that another man had bought her a drink. She told detectives she was just going to see her family in Waco the next day, but Andersson became angry because he thought she was going to leave him.

In the video, Trujillo said:

"And his face got red ... and he became infuriated"
"And then he came toward me, (and said) 'You are not going to leave me, ever.'"

She told detectives that Andersson grabbed her and they started wrestling in a hallway, that she was able to get on top of him, and that he was preventing her from breathing. She told detectives she was growling. She said:

"I was begging him to let me go"
"Please stop"
"he was going to get up and he was going to hurt me."

She told detectives she hit Andersson “a couple of times” and that he grabbed her hand and she lost the shoe. She said:

"At first I didn't know there was blood coming out of him"
"He didn't even seem like he was hurt."

She told detectives that Andersson would drink heavily and was mentally abusive, and that Andersson wanted to “marry me” and turn their friendship into romance. She said she resisted having sex with him because it was like:

"sleeping with my grandfather."

She told detectives Andersson would do well for a while and then relapse into self-destructive behavior, and said:

"It got too much for me"
"I reached over and said, 'Oh God, what happened?'"
"I reached over and my hands were full of blood."

Officer Ashton Bowie testified about her demeanor when he greeted her at Andersson’s apartment door. He said she appeared to be crying “crocodile tears” and that her face was curiously dry, stating:

"She was sobbing but no actual tears were coming down her face"

Bowie said he questioned whether her cries were real and that there was so much blood he thought the victim had been shot in the head. He testified:

"I thought his head had been blown out by a gun"

A 911 call was played, in which Trujillo said:

"He started beating me up and I couldn't get away"

Arrest / pre-trial status

Trujillo was described as currently free on $100,000 bond.

During prosecutors’ and defense presentations before the verdict, it was described that Andersson had defensive wounds on his hands and wrists while Trujillo did not have any injuries from the confrontation. Trujillo’s attorneys argued she had been injured.

Trial

Charge and conviction

Ana Trujillo was charged with murder in the death of Alf Stefan Andersson. She was convicted of murder on Tuesday by the same jury. During the guilt-or-innocence phase, jurors saw Trujillo give police a winding four-hour account of her past relationships.

Guilt-or-innocence phase events

Trujillo did not take the stand during the trial according to one account, stating her attorneys had said she should not take the stand. Another description said she took the witness stand in her defense after she had been convicted, and spent six hours re-telling her story. In her testimony, she described being forced to kill Andersson to save her own life during a more than hourlong fight after being chased down, knocked into a wall, and thrown over a couch.

During Thursday’s punishment-phase testimony, she reenacted the fight and testified she became frightened and feared for her life. When asked by defense attorney Jack Carroll “Why did you keep on hitting him?” Trujillo responded:

"He wouldn't let go of my leg. The pain wouldn't stop"

Carroll snapped at her several times to stay on point, and said:

"Short, sweet and simple"

Punishment phase

During closing arguments in the trial’s punishment phase, prosecutor John Jordan asked jurors for the maximum sentence: life in prison. Jordan said Trujillo violently killed Andersson and tried to ruin his character by falsely claiming he had abused her. Jordan said:

"Send the message that in our community, when you beat a man to death for no reason, when you come into a courtroom and you slaughter his good name ... that we in Texas are going to hold you accountable,"

Trujillo’s attorney Jack Carroll asked jurors to find that his client acted in the heat of sudden passion, which would limit her sentence to between two and 20 years. Carroll asked jurors to give her a two-year sentence, saying:

"Ms. Trujillo needs mercy right now"

Carroll’s closing argument included Trujillo beginning crying.

Prosecutors argued that Trujillo didn’t kill Andersson in a moment of sudden passion, describing it as a vicious murder in which she pinned him down and repeatedly stabbed him with her shoe while he never fought back. Prosecutor Sarah Mickelson criticized the self-defense argument, saying:

"The fact she took a stiletto to his face 25 times and then paraded around town like she’s the victim, that’s insulting,"

During the trial’s punishment phase, prosecutors called 20 witnesses. Those witnesses included testimony about Trujillo’s criminal history or firsthand experiences in which she became violent toward them when she drank.

Witnesses and demeanor

Cab driver Rosemary Gomez was described as one of the last to see Andersson alive. Gomez described warning Trujillo and recalled telling him:

"'You need to be careful. Your friend is not in her right mind,'"

Gomez described Trujillo as appearing drunk, cursing, and acting belligerently toward Andersson in the backseat and recalled Andersson squeezed her hand and said:

"'I'll be OK,'"

During one account, Andersson’s ex-wife, Jackie Swift, said:

"She's all over the board"
"It's so disjointed. It's just a bunch of ramblings."

Swift also said:

"She's evil,"
"It's unfortunate that the death penalty doesn't apply here because if anybody were ever a candidate for that it would be Ana Trujillo."

Trujillo’s niece, Ylva Olofsson, later gave a victim impact statement. She said:

"I'm 110 percent sure that he was never violent with Ana Trujillo"

She said he was not depressed and he was happy, saying:

"He was not depressed, he was happy."

Sentencing

Ana Trujillo was sentenced to life in prison on April 11, 2014.

During the deliberations before sentencing, jurors asked to look at several pieces of evidence, including the blue suede stiletto heel. Jurors reached agreement on a sentence after 4½ hours of deliberations. They also found that the crime was not done in the heat of sudden passion.

Trujillo had faced punishment ranging from five years to life, and received the maximum sentence. One account stated that she would be eligible for parole in 30 years.

After hearing the verdict, Trujillo said:

"I never meant to kill him,"
"It was self-defense. I never meant to hurt him."

Trujillo had earlier said before the judge made the jury’s decision final:

"I never meant to hurt him,"
"It was never my intent. I loved him. I wanted to get away. I never wanted to kill him."

Other details

Relationship and alleged abuse

Trujillo testified that she had been repeatedly abused by men and sexually assaulted. She testified that Andersson was a heavy drinker who would get angry with her. Trujillo also testified that she was forced to kill Andersson.

Trujillo’s defense described Andersson as chasing her down, knocking her into a wall, and throwing her over a couch, and said he was suffocating her. Defense counsel Jack Carroll described:

"She couldn't breathe. And she was begging and begging (Andersson) to let her go,"
"He started suffocating her. ..."
"She did the only thing she could do, take