The upcoming re-airing of 48 Hours on ID is set to take a look at Andrew Wagner's murder at the hands of Stephanie Fernandes, which was witnessed by a young Angelina Fernandes, the daughter of Stephanie, in 2014. Stephanie and Andrew's case remains shrouded in mystery, with the perpetrator claiming that the murder was the result of a violent altercation in which she stabbed the victim to protect herself.
Despite Stephanie Fernandes going directly to trial and being charged with murder, Angelina Fernandes's testimony, coupled with scientific evidence, ultimately led to Stephanie's acquittal. She was, however, charged with voluntary manslaughter, resulting in a shorter sentence of eight to 10 years.
While the shocking scene Angelina witnessed as a child at her home is enough to send anyone down a spiral, she persevered and is now devoted to helping crime victims and children. She is also awaiting her mother's return from prison, something that will still take some time.
What did Stephanie Fernandes do, and where was Angelina Fernandes?
Angelina Fernandes was only a little girl on the night of May 7, 2014, when the 11-year-old girl walked into a terrifying crime scene. She recalled seeing her mother in distress and Andrew Wagner on the floor, covered in blood. She was taken away as the authorities took Stephanie into questioning.
Stephanie and Andrew's relationship goes back to when Angelina was only 6 years old. Things seemed good between Andrew and Angelina, and she recalled that her mother's relationship with the man progressed very fast. But she also recalled instances of violent altercations between the two, especially Andrew getting overly physical at times and even threatening to allegedly kill Stephanie.
On the night of the incident, Andrew and Stephanie's altercation crossed the line as the former tried to choke his fiance to death before she allegedly took up a kitchen knife to defend herself. But Andrew, who Angelina recalled often tried to headbutt her mom, tried to do the same that night and was stabbed in the process by Stephanie, who claimed it was self-defense.
Angelina came to her mother's defense years later, claiming that Andrew was always abusive to her and that she believed that the attack on him was part of self-defense. She said later:
"He [Andrew Wagner] was abusive and my mom was his victim....His family is going to believe what they want to believe....I can't imagine the pain they're going through. I don't think they want to see their deceased son that way....So they're blaming my mom for all of the wrongs he's done toward her."
Her testimony did help her mother get off the hook for murder, but she was tried and found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, which ultimately led the judge to sentence her to prison for a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten years.
Angelina Fernandes is waiting for her mother to return from her sentence and see her success in life. She told 48 Hours earlier:
"She'll be able to see everything that I've accomplished....I want to accomplish all of my dreams so my mom can experience happiness afterward."
As per reports, Angelina Fernandes is now studying to become a forensic psychologist to help out crime victims and children.
This case will be covered in more detail in 48 Hours on ID.