Tucumcari man suspect in wife’s stabbing death

A Tucumcari woman is dead and her husband is in jail.

Eppie Vigil, 55, is being held at the Quay County Detention Center, accused of stabbing his wife, Lucy Vigil, 46, to death, according to court documents.

Eppie Vigil was charged with an open count of murder and with tampering with evidence Thursday in Quay County Magistrate Court. No bond was set, and a lawyer is to be appointed to represent him.

The slaying occurred Wednesday at the couple’s home at 520 East Aber St., court records show.

Eppie Vigil and his wife “got into (an) argument and she came towards him grabbing him and scratched his right arm. He said he got mad and just lost it,” according to court documents.

In the investigative report, Eppie Vigil said he stabbed his wife more than two times, and “he didn’t know how many times he stabbed his wife ... in the living room of their residence,” according to the documents.

Eppie Vigil said he threw the knife, which came from the couple’s kitchen, on top of the house, the documents stated. He also said, “Lucy Vigil didn’t have any type of weapon or anything in her hands,” the documents stated.

The argument occurred while the couple, married for about 23 years, were alone at their house, the documents stated. Their children, Lisa, 16, and Leon 13, were at church, the documents stated.

Eppie Vigil told investigators his wife was “physically abusive towards him and over the past several years had hit him and pulled his hair,” the documents stated.

Calls were made to 911 at 8:11 p.m. and 8:14 p.m. on Wednesday. The first call was to request an ambulance and the second to report what was thought to be a homicide, court documents stated.

When police arrived at the scene, they observed a young male in the front yard of the residence who appeared upset, a young female in the street crying, and an adult male walking in the yard, the documents stated. The young male told police “go inside and help his mother, and the young female began screaming, ‘He killed her,’” the documents stated.

Court documents show the adult male was Eppie Vigil, the young man was the Lucy Vigil’s son, and the young female was her daughter.