EBS STAFF
A man was sentenced to 40 years in Montana State Prison for fatally stabbing a man in July 2022, a news release from the Montana Department of Justice announced on March 20.
Francisco Padilla Canales pleaded guilty to mitigated deliberate homicide ahead of the verdict, and had previously faced charges of deliberate homicide, aggravated kidnapping, tampering with witnesses and information, and aggravated burglary.
“Canales inflicted multiple fatal stab wounds to a man after finding his estranged wife in a relationship with the victim,” the release stated, describing the Bozeman incident.
“After tracking his estranged wife with a GPS device planted on her car and discovering that she and the victim were in a relationship, Canales attacked the pair, inflicting multiple stab wounds to the victim’s chest. The victim succumbed to his injuries shortly after law enforcement arrived on the scene despite Canales attempting CPR after the attack,” the release stated.
According to the release, Canales coerced his estranged wife to support his original statement to Bozeman Police, but he eventually made a full confession. Law enforcement found illegal possession of three handguns, two rifles and a shotgun in Canales’ vehicle, the release continued.
“Canales will be eligible for parole after 10 years, per statute. He is currently detained on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold. If he is paroled, he will be handed over to ICE custody, likely deported, and barred from receiving legal immigration status into the United States in the future,” the release stated.
