Man Killed Wife with kitchen knife over argument on Christmas gift

Accused: Julio Resto, 51, pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Gloria Resto, 42, 

A man reportedly strangled his wife before killing her with a kitchen knife after she became upset because he failed to buy her a Christmas present.

Julio Resto, 51, pleaded not guilty to murdering Gloria Resto, 42, at Waltham District Court in Boston on Wednesday afternoon. But police say Mr Resto first tried to strangle his wife before stabbing her while she was in bed in their apartment in Waltham earlier that day CBS News reports.

She is said to have stayed with a friend on December 26 and had been avoiding him until she sent a text on December 30 saying he needed to move out of their shared home.  Court documents say she returned later that night, and was killed after refusing to speak to her husband.  

Police claim after he stabbed her, Mr Resto made a failed attempt to kill himself by stuffing a towel in the exhaust pipe of his car.

Prosecutors say he then drove to Waltham police headquarters, walked in with a knife in his hand and shouted out to officers, 'Shoot me. I have nothing to live for. I just killed my wife,' reports the station.

Officers then went to the couple's home and found Gloria Resto's body - they also found her son asleep in his bed unharmed

Mrs Resto's aunt said she was a devoted mother to her two children and the entire family is distraught. Julio Resto's adult son told investigators that his father called him around 5am, shortly before he showed up at the police station, and said 'take care of your kids', before hanging up, The Boston Herald reports.