Knifeman ‘killed wife yards from baby son’

After the first blow with a steak knife Alfredo Merigo, 43, turned the pushchair round so the couple’s son Luca could not see what was happening.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the attack took place in full view of neighbours outside Linda Merigo’s home after he failed to win his wife back.

In the weeks leading up to Mrs Merigo’s death her husband had researched internet sites including “How to kill someone” and “Top ten tips on how to commit the perfect crime.” He even studied sentences handed down for murder or manslaughter and sites on what prison life was like.

He turned up at the former marital home in Clematis Close, Driffield armed with two knives in his car and a third which he used to attack Mrs Merigo, a social worker, on the driveway of her home. He claims he was provoked by comments she made and says she picked up the knife from the buggy and attacked him first.

Merigo, of Weelsby Street, Grismby, admits the manslaughter of his 40-year-old wife, who died from multiple stab wounds, but denies her murder on September 1 last year.

Prosecutor Mark Bury said Luca, aged two-and-a-half was in his pushchair only yards away from the attack.

Mr Bury said: “This is a case where the defendant intended to kill Linda Merigo simply because he wasn’t getting his own way.”

Divorcee Mrs Merigo met her husband, who also has a son and a daughter from previous relationships, in 2006.

She gave birth to Luca on January 31, 2008 and the couple wed on May 31 later that year.

But the marriage was stormy with Mrs Merigo blaming him for stifling the relationship by being suspicious and attempting to control her. She moved out of the marital home in April, 2009 and began divorce proceedings.

Mrs Merigo moved into the rented property in Clematis Close and her husband moved back to Grimsby. He still had visiting rights with Luca although was not allowed onto his estranged wife’s property.

Just a few weeks before the killing, the couple were getting on better and took Luca to Blackpool for a week during which they regularly had sex. But Mrs Merigo did not want a reconciliation and became angry after she found he had told a friend he was planning to move back in with her.

When he turned up to collect Luca she told him to go away and in a series of text messages told him he was “nasty” and “could not be trusted”.

She told her husband she did not want anything more to do with him but two days later he drove to her house and waited until Luca had been dropped off by his grandmother at teatime.

Mrs Merigo came out of the house with the two-year-old and put him in his pushchair, said Mr Bury.

Shortly afterwards, neighbour Gary Terry heard screams and looked out of his window.

He thought he could see Merigo punching his wife “time and time again” while she was on the ground.

Mr Terry went out, told Merigo to stop and realised he had a knife.

As the defendant continued to rain blows on his wife, the neighbour went back inside his house to arm himself and Merigo said to him: “I’m going to kill her.”

The trial continues.