Francisco Padilla-Canales appeared in Gallatin County District Court on Monday, March 18, 2024, to be sentenced after pleading guilty to the deadly stabbing of 19-year old Lesman Joan Escobar-Andara in Bozeman in July 2022.
District Court Judge Rienne McElyea sentenced Padilla-Canales to 40 years in the Montana State Prison.
On July 7, 2022, after tracking his estranged wife with a GPS device planted on her car, Padilla-Canales discovered that she and the 19-year-old man were in a relationship.
Padilla-Canales attacked Escobar-Andara at a vacation rental his wife had been cleaning.
Padilla–Canales stabbed the victim several times in the chest. He then attempted to perform CPR on the victim, according to court documents.
Escobar-Andara died from his injuries shortly after law enforcement arrived on the scene.
Present in court on Tuesday were Padilla-Canale’s daughter and several friends. He was given the chance to address the courtroom with the help of a translator.
He expressed remorse over his actions: “I would like to apologize to Lesman’s family,” said Padilla-Canales. He continued:
“The loss of a family member to a father, I understand. I cannot imagine the pain of his family but if it were within my power to make a change and go back and go back in time, I would change all of this. But I can’t. I must accept what happened. I’m regretful and ashamed of all of this.”
Padilla Canales is currently on an immigration detainer, also known as an ICE hold. After he serves his time in Montana, he will likely be deported.
