Jilted woman jailed after stabbing lover to death in Sydney home

A Sydney woman who stabbed her lover to death in a western Sydney home has been jailed for 16 years.

A jilted woman who stabbed her lover to death inside a western Sydney home after discovering he was having an affair with another woman has been sentenced to 16 years in jail.

Jenny Niguidula, 47, was earlier this year found guilty of murdering Rhonie Apostol, 53, after she had discovered he was cheating on her with another woman.

She admitted to stabbing him to death in a South Wentworthville home on November 17, 2019 and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

After standing trial, a jury earlier this year found her guilty of murder.

“For the family and community of the victim, Mr Apostol, it is unlikely any punishment I impose will suffice,” Justice Hament Dhanji told the court during his judgment on Monday .

“They have lost, far too soon, and entirely unjustly, a man they held dear.”

Dressed in a black suit and white blouse, she on Monday morning sat in the dock in the NSW Supreme Court as she learned her fate.

Jenny Niguidula during her interview with police. Picture: Supplied.

Rhonie Apostol (right) was killed by Jenny Niguidula (not pictured) when he was stabbed through the heart. Picture: Supplied/Nine.

The court heard she stabbed him through his chest, penetrating his heart.

“He died soon after,” Justice Dhanji said.

The court heard that Mr Apostol in 1993 married Geraldine Olivares-Apostol, and they migrated from the Philippines to the United States.

Niguidula had also migrated from the Philippines to the United States, where she set up a successful business in New York.

The court heard that for six years, Niguidula was married to Mr Apostol’s brother-in-law before they divorced in 2015.

She began having a sexual relationship with Mr Apostol in 2011.

Mr Apostol worked for Niguidula’s market research company, Kaleidoscope International, which often involved him travelling internationally, including to Australia.

By 2013, Mr Apostol’s wife suspected he was having an affair with Niguidula.

“Her suspicions appear to have been well founded,” Justice Dhanji said.

At the time of his death Mr Apostol had borrowed from over $81,000 from Niguidula, including $65,000 for his son’s college tuition.

The court heard that a week before Mr Apostol’s murder, Niguidula had punched him in the head as they quarrelled outside Sydney International Airport after she discovered he had been carrying on a sexual relationship with another woman in Manila.

When they arrived in Sydney, she spent several hours in the toilet, demanding he break off his relationship with the other woman, who helped care for his elderly mother.

Rhonie Apostol was found dead at South Wentworthville in November 2019. Picture: Supplied.

CCTV of Jenny Niguidula punching Rhonie Apostol at Sydney International Airport. Picture: Supplied.

Airport CCTV footage played during the trial showed Niguidula punching him in the face and throwing her phone at his head before they got in an Uber to the Wentworthville granny flat, where they were staying.

On the afternoon of November 17, Niguidula called a friend and told her: “I think (Ron) is dead.”

When asked what happened, she told paramedics: “I woke up and found him in the shower. I don’t know what happened.”

She told police that she denied stabbing him and that she found the knife next to the toilet bowl.

Jenny Niguidula was arrested at Leumeah over Rhonie Apostol’s killing. Picture: NSW Police.

She had claimed, at trial, that she was suffering from a substantial abnormality of the mind, however that partial defence was rejected by the jury.

The court heard she had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Justice Dhanji said she was “angry” and “upset” with him when she stabbed him.

He noted there was evidence that he was attempting to reconcile with his wife and was planning on travelling back to the United States.

He found she did not intend to kill him, but was intending to seriously wound him.

He described Niguidula’s actions as “impulsive” and noted that she would have had the chance to stab him further times, however did not.

On Monday morning, Justice Dhanji sentenced Niguidula to 16 years in jail.

She will be eligible for release in December 2031 after serving a 12-year non-parole period.

Originally published as Jilted woman jailed after stabbing lover to death in Sydney home