The victim of a beheading that took place last week during broad daylight in public in California has finally been identified along with the alleged killer.
This horrid attack that happened this past Thursday took place out in San Carlos, a tiny town that sits roughly halfway between San Francisco and San Jose out in the heavily wealthy Silicon Valley area. Deputies of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office found the victim already dead just prior to noon after they were stopped by a witness to the crime. Her head had been fully removed with a samurai sword.
The victim has now officially been identified as one Karina Castro, a 27-year-old mother of two young daughters, who was known to work as a DoorDash driver.
Police slammed charges of murder against Jose Raphael Solano Landaeta, a 33-year-old that was the father of Castro’s youngest daughter.
“Anytime someone loses their life, it’s certainly a tragedy,” explained San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eamonn Allen to the gathered media. “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.”
The father of Castro stated that Landaeta was heavily abusive toward her and claimed that he felt overtly responsible for what happened by not stepping in.
“If there’s somebody out there abusing your daughter, don’t take off. Don’t let it go. Don’t take no for an answer,” explained Marty Castro in an interview. “You feel responsible, no matter what anyone says.”
“Every time I saw her, I would beg her, don’t talk to him,” he stated. “Leave him and it seemed like the more I did that, the more she would see him.”
Law enforcement officials claimed that Landaeta was officially arrested in the wake of his return to the scene of the crime.
Danielle Gannon, Karina’s grandmother, stated as part of an interview that Landaeta was “a diagnosed schizophrenic on meds” and that he would try to use his diagnosed condition as an excuse for his actions and the way he carried himself.
“He would use that as an excuse for his behavior,” she stated. “He drank excessively and you’re not supposed to do that on those kind of medications.”
