Lansing man pleads no contest in fatal stabbing of ex-girlfriend
LANSING — A Lansing man who fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend has pleaded no contest to second degree murder in connection with her death.
Dean Salinas, 50, submitted his plea Wednesday, several weeks after Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina found him competent to stand trial.
Salinas stabbed his ex-girlfriend, 50-year-old Kelly Moubray, in the chest July 4 during what appeared to be a domestic dispute, police said. He and Moubray had dated for several years, Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon said shortly after charges were filed in July.
Moubray's daughter, Rickelle, said she and her two siblings were heartbroken after their mother's death.
"No one deserves to die like our mother did," Rickelle Moubray said in a statement in July to the State Journal. "Now every Fourth of July I will remember it as a day that my mother lost her life to criminal domestic violence."
Salinas' minimum prison sentence cannot exceed 20 years in a sentencing agreement with prosecutors.
Salinas has a history of domestic violence, stalking and assault, according to court records. He has domestic violence convictions dating back to 2009 in Ingham County.
He was charged with felony domestic violence, his third offense, in November 2015. Moubray did not appear to testify in court after she was subpoenaed, and prosecutors had to dismiss the case.
Salinas' aunt, Joan Barravino, filed two petitions to obtain a personal protection order against Salinas. The most recent was in May. Barravino wrote that her nephew was "extremely violent, and has a really bad temper coupled with an alcohol problem."
Two years prior, Barravino filed another petition for a protection order against Salinas, and said he and Moubray were always fighting. She said Salinas "gets out of hand" and has threatened to harm her.
Both times, the protection order was granted.
Salinas is set to be sentenced at 9 a.m. April 10.
Read more: Lansing man faces murder charge after fatal stabbing
Read more: Man charged with fatally stabbing ex-girlfriend had history of domestic violence, stalking
If you are in an abusive relationship and need help, you can call the domestic violence hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
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Contact Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.