Man sends estranged wife ‘death’ flower she’s allergic to, then he kills her, cops say

A man stalked his estranged wife and sent her flowers she was allergic to before she was found dead in her home, Louisiana authorities said.

Her husband, 49-year-old David Hernandez, has now been charged in her death.

The evening of March 20, 45-year-old Lisa Hernandez was found covered in blood in her home, according to an April 16 news release from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said they learned David Hernandez began stalking his wife a year after they separated. He would show up at her work and placed a tracking device on her car, detectives said.

“Recently, David even sent Lisa a bouquet of flowers containing lilies, also known as the ‘death flower,’ to which she was highly allergic,” deputies said.

Detectives found David Hernandez staged a break-in of Lisa Hernandez’s home the day she died, authorities said. He’s accused of taking items from her home and throwing them in a lake, where detectives later found them, according to deputies.

When first responders said they found Lisa Hernandez lying on the floor between her bed and dresser, they attempted to revive her but were unsuccessful.

Investigators said they couldn’t determine her cause of death but began treating her death as a “harsh” homicide.

David Hernandez was arrested April 15 and booked in Tangipahoa Parish Jail on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.

In her obituary, Lisa Hernandez’s family described her as a “loving and compassionate mother of three girls.” She loved to read, and her favorite series was “Harry Potter.”

Tangipahoa Parish is in southeast Louisiana, about a 70-mile drive northwest of downtown New Orleans.

This story was originally published April 17, 2024 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Man sends estranged wife ‘death’ flower she’s allergic to, then he kills her, cops say."