Heather Gumina Waters.Photo: El Dorado District Attorney/Facebook
A California man admitted to killing his wife after breaking her collarbone, fearing how the injury would look to authorities who had charged him with assaulting her earlier that year, prosecutors said.
On Wednesday, nearly two years after killing Heather Gumina Waters, 33, a mother of three from Pleasant Valley, her husband, Anthony John Gumina, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson announced in a statement.
Anthony also pleaded guilty to two separate incidents of felony domestic violence against Heather.
Speaking before a courtroom filled with Heather’s family and friends, Anthony admitted that on July 16, 2019, he “slammed her down onto the floor” and killed her, Pierson said in the statement.
“He admitted he then put a rope around her neck to help move her out of the house,” Pierson said. “In true abuser fashion, Gumina blamed Heather for hurting his pride and honor.”
Anthony faces 30 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 3.
Anthony Gumina.El Dorado Sheriff’s Office
His attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In his statement, Pierson pointed out how the investigation into Heather’s murder “provided a more complete picture of Gumina’s character and the cycle of violence present in their relationship.”
In January 2019, Anthony tackled Heather to the ground and kicked in the door of the bathroom, where she and her 4-year-old hid from him, Pierson said.
He was subsequently arrested and then released from custody, and the following month, the couple got married.
The abuse in their relationship came to a head on the night of July 15, 2019, when Anthony broke her collarbone, sending her to the hospital, Pierson said.
The next morning, on July 16, 2019, Anthony and Heather “argued in front of Heather’s mother about her broken collarbone and how that would look to the District Attorney in Gumina’s pending case,” Pierson said.
After her mother left, Anthony “killed Heather in cold blood,” Pierson said.
When Heather vanished, Anthony said she’d left him and that he had no idea where she was, Pierson said.
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“Right after the murder,” he called Heather’s mother “proclaiming that Heather took off and was missing, executing his plot to attempt to cover up his crime,” Pierson said.
While Heather’s family, law enforcement, and the entire community searched for her, Anthony “repeatedly lied to law enforcement, willfully attempting to impede their investigation,” Pierson said.
She was wrapped in carpet with a noose around her neck. She was still wearing her hospital ID bracelet, smock and sling.
Police arrested Anthony on Sept. 6, 2019.
Earlier this month, police arrested a second suspect, Justin Kremer, 40, “as an accessory to murder,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. Kremer was booked into the El Dorado County Jail.
At this time, no further details are being released regarding Kremer’s involvement.
He has not yet entered a plea. He is being held at the El Dorado County Jail on $395,000 bail, online jail records show.
It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
