Man pleads guilty to violent domestic attacks in Arroyo Grande

The man accused of stabbing and beating his wife and her aunt in a violent rage in rural Arroyo Grande pleaded guilty Monday, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office.

On Monday, San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow announced 27-year-old Albert Isaac Gonzalezpenaloza pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted premeditated murder.

On Sept. 9, 2017, Gonzalezpenaloza stabbed his wife and her aunt multiple times and then beat them with the stock of a shotgun. He would eventually flee into the woods near the aunt’s rural Arroyo Grande home where the attack took place.

Miraculously, although they suffered life-threatening injuries, both women survived.

“This has been a horrific, life-changing event for both victims,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Sheryl Wolcott, who prosecuted the case. “We are thankful that both victims survived, and for the excellent work of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, paramedics, and other first responders. The defendant’s plea of guilty is a big step towards justice for the victims.”

Gonzalezpenaloza faces two consecutive life terms with the possibility of parole after serving 22 years behind bars.