Investigators said he tracked her vehicle and confronted her at home.
READING, Pa. — A Berks County man has been sentenced to decades behind bars after pleading guilty to killing his former girlfriend in a stabbing that prosecutors say was fueled by jealousy.
Samuel Lopez-Ordones, 34, admitted to third-degree murder in the death of Daniela Allende, 27, who was killed in January 2025 inside her family’s home in Reading.
Authorities said the couple had been together for roughly 10 years before Allende ended the relationship and told Lopez-Ordones to leave the house they shared with their children and her relatives.
Investigators said Lopez-Ordones secretly placed a GPS tracking device on Allende’s car after the breakup. The device allowed him to follow her movements in the days leading up to the killing.
On Jan. 29, Lopez-Ordones followed Allende to a restaurant parking lot where he saw her with another man, prosecutors said. Authorities said he later followed her back to the residence on Amity Street.
Inside the home, Lopez-Ordones confronted Allende about the man he had seen earlier. Investigators said the argument escalated when he grabbed a nearby knife and stabbed her in the chest.
He later told police the stabbing was meant “as a joke,” according to court records.
After the attack, Lopez-Ordones went upstairs and told the victim’s sister that he had hurt her. The sister discovered Allende bleeding on the kitchen floor and called emergency services.
Family members restrained Lopez-Ordones until officers arrived at the scene.
The defendant was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison following his guilty plea.
Author note: Last updated March 6, 2026.