Stoughton Man Pleads Not Guilty To Fatally Stabbing Wife

STOUGHTON, MA — A Stoughton man accused of fatally stabbing his wife and then making an apparent attempt to end his own life was ordered held without bail after his indictment Monday in Norfolk Superior Court. According to prosecutors, Ilton Rodrigues, 48, confessed to officers that he killed his wife, Telma Bras, 43, of Stoughton on May 3, but he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Just before midnight, police arrived at Rodriques's home at Bennett Drive after receiving a call from a relative, who had been contacted by the couple's daughter. Police forced entry and found Bras dead of an apparent stabbing, according to Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey. Rodrigues had injuries consistent with a suicide attempt, Morrissey said.

Police said Rodrigues does not have a known history of domestic violence, and their only interaction with him previously was for a minor motor vehicle infraction. The couple's two children – a 17-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son – were home at the time of the attack, Morrissey said. Morrissey told the Brockton Enterprise Rodriques' children are safe and are receiving state services, but said the traumatic incident, "clearly has taken its toll" on them.

Rodriques was previously arraigned on the murder charge at Boston Medical Center, but the indictment transfers the case from district to superior court, where longer prison sentences can be given if convicted. Rodriques is scheduled to return to court in September.