In the winter of 2015, a long-term marriage marked by deterioration came to a tragic and violent end. Norma Frias, a 48-year-old woman, had decided to leave her husband of 34 years, Hector Frias. This decision, however, was one her husband was unwilling to accept. Their deteriorating relationship culminated in a fatal encounter on December 20, 2015. After an argument at a bar, the couple was in their Dodge Durango when Hector put a gun to his wife's head and fired as she was driving.
Norma was found shot in the head in her husband's vehicle near East 74th Avenue and Washington Street. She was still breathing when he walked away from the scene.
Following the shooting, Hector Frias walked to a liquor store, purchased two shooters of Fireball, and went home. When initially questioned by police, he claimed the shooting was an accident, stating the gun had fallen and discharged when he picked it up. However, the evidence and his subsequent actions painted a different picture. Investigators found him several hours later, intoxicated and covered in blood. He reportedly told them, 'It's my fault. I did it, but it was an accident.'
Hector Frias was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder. He was held in Adams County without bail. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. During his sentencing, the court heard how Norma had been a defenseless woman and the mother of their four children. The judge characterized his actions as cowardly, highlighting that he shot her, left her to die, and then attempted to fabricate a story about the incident. In September 2016, Hector Frias was sentenced to 36 years in prison for the murder of his wife. The couple's four children, left without a mother and effectively without a father, had asked the judge to impose the minimum sentence of 24 years under the plea agreement.
