Waldo Man Woke Up and Tried to Kill Wife; Stopped by Kids

Rolando Perez, 52, was arrested on July 5 and charged with attempted homicide after he woke up and attempted to strangle his, presumably now ex-wife, to death. 

Alachua County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) Deputy Marco Valbuena responded to the scene at 7:44 am. 

After arriving, it was found that Perez had attempted to strangle his wife immediately after waking up, causing her to sustain bruises on her neck. 

Perez forced her unconscious, and shortly after, her daughter walked into the room, separated Perez from the victim, and took her mother into a different room. 

Sometime after she was taken into the other room, the victim regained consciousness, and shortly after, Perez tried to kill her again. 

Perez told Deputy Valbuena that he “chased after the victim, grabbed her from behind, and wrapped his arms around her neck.”  

After being yelled at to stop by one of the kids, Perez then reportedly released her, walked out of the room, and armed himself with a knife. Perez claimed he got the knife to kill himself, but he was stopped by his son. Perez was held down by his son until ACSO arrived. 

The arrest report states, “Perez demonstrated a depraved mind without regard for [the victim’s] life."

The attempted murder survivor was transported to the hospital by Alachua County Fire & Rescue for further treatment.

Perez was given no bond, and the State Attorney’s Office intends to file a motion of pretrial detention.