Woman gets life in prison for killing husband’s ex-wife

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 38-year-old woman who fatally stabbed her husband’s ex-wife in Oregon was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.

Angela McCraw-Hester pleaded guilty to the murder of Annastasia Hester, who was 34 when she died, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. McCraw-Hester will be eligible for parole after 25 years.

Early on June 10, 2016, Hester called 911. Police arrived at her apartment in the Portland suburb of Gresham, where they found Hester with at least 60 stab wounds on her body. She died at a hospital.

Annastasia Hester and Matthew Hester were married for five years before divorcing in 2012, court records show.

Police said they believe McCraw-Hester, who is married to Matthew Hester, broke into Annastasia Hester’s apartment by removing a window-mounted air conditioning unit.

Investigators found McCraw-Hester’s DNA on a kitchen knife block inside the apartment. Surveillance video showed a car that matches McCraw-Hester’s leaving the apartment shortly after the 911 call.

U.S. Marshals found McCraw-Hester in 2017 in Pocatello, Idaho.

In 2019, police arrested McCraw-Hester’s husband, Matthew Hester, in Kennewick, Washington. Matthew Hester is awaiting trial, charged with conspiring to help his current wife kill his ex-wife.

Court records show that Matthew Hester, 38, told police that he and his wife talked about killing his ex-wife, but they didn’t follow through. Matthew and Annastasia Hester had gone through a child custody dispute, according to Gresham, Oregon police reports.

Reports show that while Matthew Hester initially denied his wife’s involvement in the killing, he later told investigators that she was guilty.

Hester’s brother, Nathaniel Holmes, said the turmoil of his sister’s murder has had severe effects on the family, according to a statement provided by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.