A U.S. Border Patrol agent who attacked a sleeping couple at an Escondido home actually planned to kill his estranged wife and her new boyfriend, according to prosecutors.
Gamalier Reyes Rivera, 34, is charged with four counts of attempted murder, two counts each of torture and aggravated mayhem and one count of burglary.
Armed with two hatchets, Rivera left his Imperial Beach apartment about 1 a.m. on July 9, 2009 to kill his estranged wife, Erika Von der Hyde, and her new boyfriend, Deputy District Attorney George Loyd said.
"He had a plan," Loyd said.
Rivera allegedly took a taxi to the home in the 800 block of South Upas Street, where Chris Anguiano and his girlfriend Samantha were sleeping.
Anguiano testified that his barking dog woke him up that night. He reached for his glasses before being struck in the chest, back and face.
The victim said he bit the attacker's finger off and then passed out. He was in a coma for two months, left blind and with brain damage.
Samantha Shaffer was also cut in the leg, knee and big toe
Von der Hyde, her boyfriend and her daughter were not injured. They were asleep in other bedrooms at the time of the attack.
Rivera's estranged wife found a "to-do list" in 2005 with the words "How to kill her and get away with it," Loyd said Wednesday.
