Palm Beach Man Who Killed Wife With Sledgehammer Given Life Sentence

WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) - A Palm Beach man who killed his wife with a sledgehammer has been sentenced to life in prison.

Walter Ricardo Lopez Barrios, 40, was convicted Thursday of murdering his wife in 2016 and assaulting his then-12-year-old stepdaughter.

Testimony showed Lopez Barrios attacked 56-year-old Martha Montoya after she confronted him about allegedly molesting her oldest daughter. Montoya's daughters awoke to hear her screams and the youngest one went to investigate with a knife. Lopez Barrios chased her out of the room with the hammer.

Lopez Barrios says he killed Montoya in self-defense because she came at him with a gun. Assistant State Attorney Aleathea McRoberts says evidence did not support his claim.

Prosecutors told jurors Lopez Barrios molested the oldest daughter but won't be charged.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)