A Sacramento jury yesterday convicted a man of murdering his wife inside their home, closing a grim chapter in a 2023 shooting that unfolded while the couple’s six children were in the house. The victim, Felicia Wilcots, was found inside the residence the day she was shot.
Prosecutor: Evidence and charges
The jury found 39-year-old Vincent Saenz guilty of first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm, and also found true a use-of-firearm allegation, according to a press release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. The office says officers responded to a report of a shooting in August 2023 and found Saenz with blood stains on his shirt and his wife, Felicia Wilcots, on the floor with a gunshot wound to her back. Officers located a gun on Saenz’s bed.
Family testimony and local reporting
Prosecutors and reporting say the couple’s six children were at home when the shooting occurred, and four of the older children later said their parents were arguing before the gunfire. As reported by FOX40, the children also disclosed what prosecutors described as years of domestic abuse, and the DA noted Saenz had previously made threats to kill the victim.
Sentencing and legal exposure
According to the DA's press release, Saenz faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 20 at 1:30 p.m. in Department 10 before the Honorable Ernest Sawtelle. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kendra Havlick of the Homicide Unit, the office said.
