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Not guilty verdict in stabbing trial upsetting to family of victim
Jury acquitted Gainesville woman Sept. 16 in 2014 death of another woman
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Ofelia Barrera-Rodriguez, right, stands between attorney Matt Leipold and interpreter Melva Mendoza in Hall County Superior Court during day two of her murder trial Sept. 14. Barrera-Rodriguez was later acquitted in the stabbing death of Iris Romero-Banegas on Dec. 28, 2014.
After watching the weeklong trial, family members of Iris Romero-Banegas said they couldn’t believe the not guilty verdict on murder charges faced by Ofelia Barrera-Rodriguez. Barrera-Rodriguez, 49, was acquitted Sept. 16 in Superior Court on all charges in alleged connection to the death of Romero-Banegas on Dec. 28, 2014. Romero-Banegas, 43, was stabbed repeatedly at her Hidden Knoll home in Gainesville.