Xavier Figueroa, 33, dressed in a bright yellow prison jumpsuit, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge George Thim to murder and risk of injury to a minor.
The family of his former wife sat stoically in the back of the courtroom during the hearing and declined comment as they left.
Senior Assistant State's Attorney C. Robert Satti Jr. told the judge he would recommend Figueroa serve a 27-year prison term when he is sentenced Aug. 7.
According to Satti, on Oct. 21, 2006, the defendant, who had moved to Hamden, lured his former wife to the home on Wedgwood Place, in Bridgeport, where they previously had lived. She arrived there with her three young children.
While Figueroa had the children wait in an upstairs room, Satti said he and the woman went to the basement where, after an argument, he pulled out a knife and began stabbing her. Satti said the victim was stabbed at least 17 times.
Satti said Figueroa later dropped the children at his sister-in-law's home in Norwalk and then turned himself in to Norwalk police, telling them he had, "just hurt his wife real bad."
In the meantime, the prosecutor said, Bridgeport police had been called to the Wedgwood Place home by the woman's family and found her lying dead in the basement.
Satti said Bridgeport police later found the
He said police recovered a number of e-mails Figueroa had previously sent his former wife in which he threatened to kill her.
Figueroa told the judge he agreed with the facts of the case
as presented by the prosecutor.
