A San Mateo County jury on Monday delivered a guilty verdict in the case of the man accused of beheading his estranged girlfriend with a samurai sword in San Carlos.
Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of 27-year-old Karina Castro outside her San Carlos apartment in September 2022.
The victim's father, Martin Castro Jr., spoke exclusively with NBC Bay Area after the verdict was announced and said a big emotional burden had been lifted.
"It might help us actually move on a little bit," he said. "Everything's just been on hold, literally frozen in time. I feel like I was at that scene yesterday, all the stuff that was going on. Again, just relief. I can breathe right now."
The defense portrayed the killing as self-defense by a man with mental health issues. His lawyer said Landaeta, who refused to attend the start of the trial, was not taking his medication, Risperdal, which was allegedly used to treat his chronic paranoid schizophrenia.
Prosecutors said the killing was motivated by vengeance, using several exchanges on Instagram and Snapchat presenting a volatile relationship between Landaeta and the victim.
In the social media exchanges, Castro threatened to reveal information such as alleged sexual encounters Landaeta had with an underage girl, while Landaeta sent threatening messages of his own on Instagram, including a ninja emoji followed by blood emojis.
He also threatened to take their daughter away from Castro. About three hours before the killing, Landaeta texted a friend, "She lookin ta get smoked blood."
Landaeta's defense argued Castro had knives and attempted to stab Landaeta, although the alleged knives have not been recovered. According to the defense, Castro also threatened Landaeta's family with violence, telling him she put a hit out on his mother, who lived in the same apartment building as Castro.
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Eyewitnesses said they saw Landaeta and Castro having an intense argument outside of Castro's apartment, before he went into his car and retrieved the sword used to kill Castro.
The jury on Monday was asked to return for instruction on deliberating on aggravating factors, including Landaeta using a sword to behead Castro.
