Man Murders Wife With AR-15 in Front of Teen Son, Tells Cops ‘She Cheated’

A California man accused of murdering his wife with an AR-15 in front of their teenage son allegedly confessed to the killing, telling police he snapped after believing she had cheated on him, according to newly released court documents.

Manuel Leal Robles, 37, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Ana Karen Robles, who was killed inside the family’s Bakersfield home on Nov. 26. He has pleaded not guilty and is currently being held without bail, according to jail records.

An 86-page police report obtained by People details chilling statements from the couple’s 15-year-old son, who told investigators that both of his parents had been drinking that night and began arguing as the evening went on. Robles later told officers he drank two bottles of vodka and blacked out.

According to the report, when the teen tried to intervene, he found his mother curled up in the fetal position on her bed while his father stood over her pointing a handgun. Robles allegedly fired several shots into a safe in the bedroom before leaving the room.

The son told police that Robles then returned carrying an AR-15, said, “This is what happens when you cheat,” and opened fire on his wife, shooting her multiple times.

After the shooting, Robles allegedly put the barrel of the rifle into his own mouth but did not pull the trigger. The teen told investigators he wrestled the gun away from his father and threw it over a fence. Fearing his father would harm himself further, the boy then followed him into the kitchen and struggled to keep him away from knives, according to the report.

Robles allegedly fled the scene in his truck and was later located by police at a shopping center roughly two miles from the family’s home, where he was taken into custody.

One officer wrote in the report that Robles made several spontaneous statements after being handcuffed, all of which were captured on body camera footage.

“I f—ed up, my wife cheated on me and I f—ed up,” Robles allegedly said. He also told officers, “She made a mistake and I killed her for it,” adding that Ana “didn’t deserve that.”

In a follow-up interview, the couple’s son reportedly told investigators that his parents argued often and that his father would “put holes in the walls” when he drank. The teen also said Robles learned of his wife’s alleged affair about a month earlier and had sent his sister to watch Ana, who later claimed she saw her with another man.

In addition to the murder charge, Robles is also facing counts of willful cruelty to a child and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, according to jail records. He is being held at the Lerdo Justice Facility and is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 11. Information about his legal representation was not immediately available.