Jose Landaeta: 'Schizophrenic on meds' arrested for beheading ex-girlfriend Karina Castro
WARNING: This article contains graphic imagery and content that some readers may find distressing. Discretion is advised
SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA: Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta, 33, who allegedly beheaded his 27-year-old ex-girlfriend, Karina Castro, outside her apartment during a dispute on Thursday, September 8, has been arrested with homicide charges.
According to NY Post, Castro, who has two daughters, aged one and seven, was beheaded by Landaeta with a sword in full view of her neighbors outside her house in the Bay Area. After the horrific murder, he reportedly fled , but when police arrived on the site, he reappeared and was taken into custody. Local media outlets reported that the weapon was a sword, but authorities have only described it as a "stabbing instrument."
READ MORE
Ashley Wadsworth: Jealous man who stabbed teenage girlfriend to death pleads guilty
Who is Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta?
As per the report, Landaeta is the father of Castro's one-year-old daughter. He was booked into the San Mateo County Jail with no bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday, September 12.
Describing his behaviour, Castro's father Marty, who got her GED and worked as a Door Dash driver, told the outlet that he had been violent with his daughter. He said, “Every time I saw her, I would beg her. Don’t talk to him. Leave him and it seemed like the more I did that, the more she would see him.”
“I didn’t like him from day one. He’s been nothing but trouble since the day he came into her life. When she got pregnant by him, my heart dropped. I miss her already. My heart is empty without her. She was my best friend," he told KRON4.
The family said Landaeta was known as Rafa Solano, and that he didn't work, as per ABC. Castro's grandmother, Danielle Gannon, said, "He is a diagnosed schizophrenic on meds. And he would use that as an excuse for his behavior. He drank excessively and you're not supposed to do that on those kind of medications."
As per ABC, snapchat messages between the former couple were revealed as well in which Landaeta calls Castro "snitch lip" and warns her "F**K around and find out." Castro responds with, "U wanna put a target on my back, ur homies gunna kno the real u" and adds, "Dude, go head try and take my a** out."
Anyone with information related to this homicide is encouraged to contact Detective Brandt with the Sheriff’s Office at 650-333-8195.