An Omaha woman charged in connection with a Christmas night stabbing death has pleaded no contest to manslaughter, closing out a case that began with a second-degree murder charge nearly a year ago. Maryuris Velasquez-Mendoza entered the plea Tuesday, along with no-contest pleas to possession of a deadly weapon while committing a felony and tampering with physical evidence. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2027.
Velasquez-Mendoza's manslaughter charge was downgraded from second-degree murder as part of the plea deal, according to KETV. The station's reporting on her age has varied: its latest report lists her as 42, while an earlier report from WOWT identified her as 41 when she was booked into Douglas County Corrections in December. Neither age has been independently confirmed for this story.
The case traces back to Christmas night, when police officers responded to a 911 call of unknown nature. Accounts of the exact location differ: KETV reported officers were called to an apartment near 107th Plaza and Ogden Plaza, while the WOWT report placed the call near 107th Plaza and Fort Street at about 11:16 p.m. Officers arriving on scene found Angel Gonzalez-Sanchez suffering from cutting injuries; he was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
What the Police Report Describes
A police officer reported seeing blood on Velasquez-Mendoza's hands and coat at the scene, per the same KETV account. According to that police report, Velasquez-Mendoza admitted to cutting Gonzalez-Sanchez with a steak knife in what she described as an attempt to defend herself. She also told police she went through a back window and discarded the knife before returning to the scene, the report states.
Those details emerged as part of the investigation following Gonzalez-Sanchez's death, and the account has remained largely consistent since the days after the stabbing, when WOWT first reported that Velasquez-Mendoza said she cut the man with a steak knife to defend herself. She was originally charged with second-degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, and tampering with evidence, with bond set at $1 million when she appeared in court in late December, WOWT reported at the time.
How Nebraska Law Treats Manslaughter
Nebraska statute distinguishes between two forms of manslaughter: an unlawful killing without malice that arises from a sudden quarrel, sometimes described as voluntary manslaughter, and an unlawful but unintentional killing without malice stemming from the defendant's commission of an unlawful act, categorized as involuntary manslaughter, according to the Nebraska Legislature. The plea deal does not specify which category applies in Velasquez-Mendoza's case.
Tampering with physical evidence, one of the charges Velasquez-Mendoza also pleaded no contest to, is separately defined under Nebraska law as covered by the Nebraska Legislature's statutes. With the plea entered, the case now moves toward sentencing in January, when a judge will determine the consequences Velasquez-Mendoza faces for the Christmas night killing of Gonzalez-Sanchez.
