Crown Point man gets 35 years in fatal Hobart stabbing

A Crown Point man was sentenced to 35 years Friday for fatally stabbing his girlfriend’s daughter’s boyfriend.

Mark Jaramillo, 47, was convicted last fall in the April 16, 2021, death of Rafeal Jose Marcano, 27, of Hobart.

His lawyer Herb Shaps said Jaramillo would appeal.

Senior Judge Kathleen Lang sentenced Jaramillo to 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and another 15 for a habitual offender enhancement.

Lawyers said previously the pair had “bad blood” between them and had argued in the past over a young boy, who typically stayed with his grandmother, Jaramillo’s girlfriend Koreena Henry.

Marcano was stabbed twice in the back, with one wound puncturing a lung, lawyers said. As he lay on the ground fatally injured, Henry and Jaramillo sped off, taking her grandson to school, a criminal affidavit alleged.

Henry told police Marcano was “abusive,” allegedly beating her daughter days before his death, documents said. Henry signed a plea agreement. Her sentencing is scheduled July 8.

Shaps said Friday the fight was a “mutual combat situation”. Jaramillo had “no intent” to hurt Marcano that day. He asked for 27.5 years.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kasey Dafoe said Jaramillo was the “worst of the worst” and asked for a 50-year term.

Marcano’s girlfriend told police her mother, Henry, and mother’s boyfriend, Jaramillo, came over that morning to take her son to school, the affidavit states.

Soon after Marcano called Henry, who was on her way, Jaramillo appeared at the back door “puffed up like a tough guy” who was on “bad terms” with him, court documents state.

Henry was livid Marcano beat her daughter, sarcastically asking how she was feeling, pointing to her chest where he allegedly struck her, documents said.

A verbal fight between the two men soon turned physical, with Henry grabbing the woman to take her outside, it said. The woman threatened, then punched her mom to get free, documents allege.

The woman opened the door, because her son was still inside, to see Jaramillo with a knife dragging Marcano with blood gushing from him out of the house, charges state.

The woman ran to Henry’s car, thinking she could run Jaramillo over, it said. Henry forcibly pushed her over to the passenger seat. The child was in the back seat. Henry got out of the tan Saturn briefly before Jaramillo yelled for her to get back inside and they took off, taking the boy to school, court documents state. Jaramillo had a cut on his middle finger, it said.

Once the boy was dropped off, the woman asked why Jaramillo attacked Marcano.

“He shouldn’t have swung on you,” Jaramillo said, according to the woman.

“I did it for you,” Jaramillo allegedly said to the woman. “I was trying to protect you, because RJ hit you.”

Later in police interviews, Henry said Jaramillo told her afterward “the monster is dead” when she asked what happened. The plan was not to kill him, Henry and Jaramillo said.

Jaramillo was recently on parole from Wisconsin for armed robbery and didn’t want to go back to prison, according to Henry and court documents. Henry and Jaramillo went afterward to the Motel 6 where they were both arrested, it said. Henry had a white powder, which tested positive for meth, the affidavit alleges.

Jaramillo was “scared” to go back to prison and had “three years left” on parole. Henry said she was surprised her car was destroyed, assuming it was hidden in Gary’s Black Oak section.

“He didn’t go there to kill that kid,” Henry said to police. “That is not what he went there for.”