A California mother of two young girls was beheaded on the street outside her home just before noon Thursday by a man with a restraining order against him.
“Family members have identified the young woman beheaded Thursday on a San Carlos street as Karina Castro, a 27-year-old mother of 7-year-old and 1-year-old girls, who worked for DoorDash,” Crime Online reported.
Authorities said the man was an estranged boyfriend, previously identified as 33-year-old Jose Raphael Solano Landaeta.
NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit learned that the woman’s head was severed by a sword on Thursday.
“I feel like this is a horror movie I need to wake up from,” said Martin Castro Jr., the woman’s father.
WATCH:
Father of woman ‘beheaded’ by her estranged boyfriend in #SanCarlos #murder case expresses anger at suspect now in custody. pic.twitter.com/lTHPHxWAOf
— Robert Handa (@RHandaNBC) September 9, 2022
NBC Bay Area reported:
A woman’s head was severed with a sword in San Carlos Thursday, authorities with knowledge of the investigation told NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit.
The suspect, who returned to the scene, was arrested in connection with the woman’s death, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect was later identified as Jose Landaeta Solano.
Deputies near the intersection of Laurel Street and Magnolia Avenue were flagged down at about 11:50 a.m. by witnesses who reported an assault in progress, the sheriff’s office said. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the woman dead.
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eamonn Allen said during an afternoon media briefing a “stabbing instrument” was used, but he did not provide further details as the weapon is still outstanding.
“Anytime someone loses their life, it’s certainly a tragedy,” Allen said. “As far as the shocking nature of it, I do know that the deputies that first arrived on scene were a little beset by the scene. We are providing them peer support. We are also providing support for the witnesses that were on scene as well because there were several civilian witnesses.”
“Investigators believe the incident began with the couple fighting inside her apartment around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The fight then spilled outside, where authorities said Solano used what sources are describing as a samurai sword to kill her,” NBC Bay Area said in a follow-up report.
Martin Castro Jr. showed up at the scene Friday where a memorial to his daughter stands.
“None of us have eaten. None of us have slept. None of us have drank anything. Nothing,” Martin Castro Jr. said.
“I can’t even feel anything right now, except hurt. I’m empty.”
From NBC Bay Area:
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect in the slaying as Jose Landaeta Solano, who was arrested Thursday after returning to the scene.
“If they’ll give him the death penalty, I’m all for it,” Martin Castro Jr. said when asked what he wants to see happen next.
Neighbors on Friday told NBC Bay Area Karina Castro had a volatile relationship with Solano. One neighbor, who said police often responded to the couple fighting, recalled hearing Karina Castro talk about being scared of Solano.
“The night before she was pacing back and forth in front of the house,” neighbor Nathaniel Chan said. “And I heard she was talking really loud on the phone and said ‘it feels like I’ve got a target on my back.'”
Investigators said Solano had an extensive, violent criminal past and a history of mental illness.
There was also a history of domestic violence calls and other complaints tied to the home.
From NBC Bay Area:
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