SPOKANE, Wash. -- A Mead husband accused of killing his wife in front of their son pleaded guilty second degree murder Tuesday afternoon.
47-year-old Jeff Canino stabbed his wife, Michelle, to death in the couple's home in December 2009.
Canino will be sentenced January 21 at 9 .m.Since Canino has no serious criminal history his sentencing will be between 10 and 18 years in prison with credit for time served, which is just more than a year now.
Prosecutors said Canino agreed to a plea deal to avoid reminding Michelle's family of the grim details of the murderin a trial.
'It's a very difficult situation and to have to relive it is incredibly hard,' said Prosecutor John Love.
Love said the family recommended 15 years in prison as an adequate sentence.
'The family felt that 15 years was a good amount of time for this crime and was willing to make that recommendation with a plea as charged, and Mr. Canino is also willing to make that recommendation,' said Love.
In last year's attack Canino was treated for what detectives call a self-inflicted stab wound.
He was later released from the hospital and booked into jail.
The son is the one person who witnessed what happened the morning his mother was killed.
According to court documents, the boy was in the family car waiting for his mom to take him to the dentist.
When she didn't come out, he went back in.
On the kitchen floor, he saw Michelle bleeding from three stab wounds to the neck.
She told her son she was dying and told him to call 911.
Detectives who reviewed the call heard the boy yell, 'Dad you're killing her'... 'I don't want you guys to get in a fight like this.'
Michelle herself got on the line and told the operator her husband stabbed her.
The couple's son later told detectives, 'His father was depressed about possibly losing his job at Camp Chevrolet.'
After the attack, when the son asked why he'd stabbed his mom, Canino allegedly said it was because Michelle wanted a divorce.
In that moment, the son says Canino turned the knife on himself and yelled 'it's my turn.'
The boy tried to stop his father from cutting his throat, but Canino kept pushing his son down.
Detectives who interviewed Canino in the hospital say he admitted to being in the kitchen arguing with his wife, and seeing her bleeding.
But Canino denied remembering anything more about what happened.
Court documents say 'Canino denied any further memory of the event.'
Detectives checked Canino's criminal history and found he had violated a domestic violence restraining order filed by his first wife in 1993.
