Perth Amboy man gets 20-year sentence

Wellinton Leonardo was sentenced on July 8 to 20 years in state prison for fatally stabbing his wife, Rosana Rodriguez, inside their Perth Amboy home in September 2024, according to local reports. Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Andrea Carter imposed the sentence after Leonardo was convicted in March of manslaughter and counts of endangering the welfare of a child, News 12 and MyCentralJersey reported. Prosecutors said the stabbing happened in front of the couple’s children. Authorities were first called to the home on Bertrand Avenue by a 911 report of a stabbing shortly before 3 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2024. ### Who was sentenced, and for what crime? Wellinton Leonardo, a Perth Amboy man, was sentenced after prosecutors said he killed Rodriguez, 40, in the kitchen of their home. Middlesex County prosecutors identified him in 2024 as the husband of Rodriguez and said the case was not a random act of violence. March 2026 brought Leonardo’s conviction on manslaughter and child-endangerment charges, according to News 12 and NJ.com. (newjersey.news12.com) Those reports said jurors found him guilty after hearing evidence that some of the couple’s daughters were present during the attack. ### What happened inside the Perth Amboy home? Sept. 21, 2024, is the date prosecutors say officers responded to Bertrand Avenue at about 2:57 a.m. after a 911 call reporting a stabbing. (middlesexcountynj.gov) Police found a man and a woman on the kitchen floor, and Rodriguez was taken to Hackensack Meridian Hospital Raritan Bay Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said. (newjersey.news12.com) News 12 reported that one of the children called 911 and that the stabbing happened in front of the children. Earlier coverage from local outlets said the couple had four daughters and that the youngest was 11 months old at the time of the killing. ### What sentence did Judge Andrea Carter impose? Judge Andrea Carter sentenced Leonardo to 20 years in state prison on Wednesday, July 8, according to News 12. (middlesexcountynj.gov) MyCentralJersey reported the same sentence on July 9. News 12 also reported that Leonardo could become eligible for parole before the full 20 years are served, though the sentence itself was 20 years. (newjersey.news12.com) The reports did not indicate any immediate change to the conviction entered earlier this year. ### How did the case move from murder charge to manslaughter conviction? (newjersey.news12.com) September 2024 charging documents show Leonardo was initially charged with first-degree murder, weapons offenses and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Perth Amboy Police Chief Lawrence Cattano announced those charges the day of the killing. By March 2026, local reports said a jury convicted Leonardo of manslaughter and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. (newjersey.news12.com) NJ.com reported prosecutors said the killing followed an argument after Rodriguez told Leonardo she wanted to end the marriage. ### What do the public records show next? Middlesex County’s 2024 release remains the official public statement on the initial charges and identifies Detective Danny Hernandez of Perth Amboy police and Detective Michelle Coppola of the prosecutor’s office as lead investigators. (middlesexcountynj.gov) News 12 and MyCentralJersey are the published accounts of the July 8 sentencing. July 9 coverage did not report a new hearing date or an appeal filing by Leonardo. (nj.com) Any next formal step in the case would appear in Middlesex County Superior Court records or a new filing by Leonardo’s defense. (mycentraljersey.com) (middlesexcountynj.gov)