On Monday, a Gaithersburg woman was found guilty of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her boyfriend and delaying medical aid for over four hours.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Harry Storm, a jury has found defendant, Jennifer Espinoza-Orellana, 22, of Gaithersburg, guilty of second-degree murder for the death of her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jose Manuel Zavala Marquez.
The jury returned its verdict on November 18, 2024, after a five-day trial. The jurors deliberated for just 90 minutes. Espinoza-Orellana faces up to 40 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 4, 2025.
On Sunday, September 10, 2023, at approximately 5:30 a.m., the defendant dropped the victim’s body off at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in the 9900 block of Medical Center Drive in Rockville. Zavala Marquez had been stabbed in the chest. An investigation by homicide detectives with Montgomery County Police revealed Espinoza-Orellana and Zavala Marquez had an argument at her home along the 8000 block of Shady Spring Drive in Gaithersburg. She followed him outside and stabbed him in the chest with a knife she pulled from a knife block in the kitchen. The knife went through his sternum and pierced his heart. The approximate time of the stabbing was just before 1:15 a.m. Espinoza-Orellana did not immediately seek medical aid for the victim. She instead placed Zavala Marquez in her vehicle and drove to the home of a family member. From there, she drove to a park to meet up with another individual. At least four hours passed before she drove to the medical center and dropped off the victim’s body.
Espinoza-Orellana returned to the hospital at approximately 8 a.m. She was questioned by police and provided false information, lying about the events leading up to and following the victim’s death.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Shiela Bagheri and John Grochowski are prosecuting this case.”
