Teacher Kills Wife by Cutting her Throat, then Killed Himself (Photos)

A teacher tied up his estranged partner before stabbing her to death and killing himself – leaving their two-year-old daughter orphaned.

Anthony Roberts burst into Guida Rufino’s home and also bound a female friend, who was staying with her and is understood to have witnessed the murder-suicide on Sunday night.

The friend managed to escape with her hands still tied and fled, screaming to a neighbour to raise the alarm.

Police believe Mr Roberts, 37, cut Miss Rufino’s throat with a knife before deliberately slicing an artery in his leg. 

rs say they heard a series of loud bangs through the walls at their stone cottage in Idle, Bradford, before the woman who saw the killing ran out into the street.

By the time emergency services arrived at the family home 38-year-old Miss Rufino was dead from ‘serious neck injuries’.

Paramedics tried to save Mr Roberts, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The couple’s little girl, Isabel, was staying with relatives at the time. Yesterday forensic experts were at the £230,000 house as an investigation was launched by West Yorkshire Police.

Two knives were recovered and police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the ‘domestic incident’ which happened shortly after 6pm on Sunday.

Mr Roberts, a teacher, and Miss Rufino, the director of a local occupational health firm, had been together for five years. It was not widely known that they had separated.

Miss Rufino was described as a ‘devoted’ mother by her business partner Dr Jacqueline Senior.

The two women started their Leeds-based firm in April last year after Miss Rufino gave birth in late 2013. Dr Senior said: ‘She returned from maternity leave invigorated and inspired to grow our business and we both looked forward to an exciting 2016. We are all devastated.’

The couple’s daughter attended local nursery, Wesley House. Hayley Wright, the nursery’s manager, said Miss Rufino had told her last week she was looking forward to Isabel starting to talk and saying ‘I love you, Mummy’.

She added that staff had never noticed a problem with the couple. Miss Wright described the mother as ‘lovely’ and ‘really chatty,’ while Mr Roberts was ‘really good’ with Isabel.

‘I offered to babysit for them if they ever wanted a date night,’ she said. ‘We feel shocked and devastated and in disbelief. Everyone burst out crying.’ 

The nursery manager said she rang the couple’s mobile phones yesterday morning when news of the incident was reported. ‘There was no answer. I cried and was in shock. I still do not believe it.’

Andrew Clifford, director of First Class Childcare which owns the nursery, said: ‘It’s pretty devastating for the staff as they have worked with that family very closely. They’re very shocked. It’s very sad news.’

He added: ‘We have been told that the girl wasn’t in the property at the time.

‘I’m glad to hear that she wasn’t caught up in anything, as she’s going to have some very sad news to deal with.’