Man accused of murdering girlfriend enters guilty plea

A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death pleaded guilty to murder Friday morning.

Corey Franklin, 24, is charged in the death of 24-year-old Graciela Hernandez. He allegedly stabbed her 11 times, mostly in the head on Jan. 21, 2015.

On Friday, the district’s attorney’s office dropped a kidnapping charge and a charge of tampering with evidence.

Franklin will be sentenced at 1:15 p.m. Monday.

Franklin allegedly went out to buy beer before trying file a bogus police report, according to a court document obtained by the New Mexico Mobile Newsroom.

Doa Ana County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Franklin after the deputies discovered his girlfriend’s lifeless body in a pool of blood on a bed inside the couple’s home.

Three steak knives were found in the dirt outside the home and there was blood on trash bags, according to the statement of facts.

Franklin reportedly went to the Las Cruces Police Department to report a burglary at his house in the 1400 block of Eclipse.

Investigators say Franklin changed his story during questioning, telling officers he actually got into a fight with Hernandez.

According to investigators, Franklin said he had been drinking and he argued with Hernandez about her daughter. Franklin allegedly told investigators he hit the woman several times because she attacked him with a knife.

After the fight, Franklin allegedly dragged Hernandez back into the home and placed her in bed. He thought she was still alive, according to court documents, and he left the home several times to buy beer.

It wasn’t until he realized Hernandez was dead, that he tried to contact police, according to the statement of facts.