Harris County man charged with murder after allegedly stabbing wife to death in front of kids

Felix Ruiz, who was charged Sunday with murder, is shown here in a prior booking photo. Felix Ruiz, who was charged Sunday with murder, is shown here in a prior booking photo. Photo: DPS Photo: DPS Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Harris County man charged with murder after allegedly stabbing wife to death in front of kids 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

A Harris County man is accused of stabbing his wife to death then cutting his own neck in an apparent murder-suicide attempt in front of the couple's six children Saturday evening, officials said.

Felix Ruiz, who court records show had a long history of domestic violence, was charged Sunday with the murder of his common-law wife, 34-year-old Sofia Martinez.

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It's not clear what type of domestic dispute led to the violence, but by the time deputies responded around 7:30 p.m. to the Advenir at Stone Park Apartments in the 6100 block of East Sam Houston Parkway, Martinez was already dead inside her apartment.

Ruiz had wounded himself but was still breathing, and the 37-year-old was taken by ambulance to Ben Taub Hospital in critical condition

The two had been together for nearly 10 years and have six children ranging in age from 6 months to 16 years old - all of whom were home in the apartment at the time of the stabbing, according to Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Thomas Gilliland.

After police arrived, the kids were handed over to their grandmother, though it's unclear whether she was home at the time of the incident.

Over the past two decades, Ruiz has racked up a string of local arrests, including drunk driving, marijuana possession and assault.

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In 2011, he got 90 days in jail for hitting his girlfriend the year before. That July, he got another assault family violence charge when he pulled Martinez by her hair and pushed her to the ground, according to court records. He netted two years in prison for that charge, and as part of his plea agreement got another family violence charge dismissed after he was accused of kicking Martinez.

Then in 2014, Ruiz got 30 days in jail after he was convicted of grabbing another man by the neck during an argument over a laptop in Jacinto City, according to court records.

At the time of his arrest in the killing, Ruiz also had a warrant out for a 2016 criminal mischief charge after he allegedly destroyed Martinez's apartment, throwing a TV on the floor, kicking apart the dresser, and putting four holes in her bedrooms walls.