Man Convicted of Killing Girlfriend, Dumping Body Sentenced

The body of Juanita Kawash, 47, was found covered with trash behind a dumpster in Vista on Aug. 19

A man convicted of killing his girlfriend and disposing her body behind a dumpster, covered in plastic and trash has been sentenced. 

Kirk Stapleton, 53, was convicted of first-degree murder in October for murdering his girlfriend, Juanita Kawash, 47. 

On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 26 years to life. A Vista Court judge denied a request from Stapleton's attorney asking to reduce the conviction to voluntary manslaughter. 

On Aug. 19, at around 3:45 p.m., deputies from the Vista Sheriffโ€™s Station responded to a call of a suspicious package left near 1461 N. Santa Fe Avenue in Vista.

When deputies checked the area, they found Kawashโ€™s deceased body on the ground behind a dumpster at the rear of a few businesses, including a laundromat. She was wrapped in plastic and covered in trash and debris.

Kawash was later identified by officials who say her last known address was in Vista. The medical examiner determined she was killed as a result of blunt force trauma.

Stapleton was then arrested in connection to her murder. Investigators say Stapleton and Kawash were in a romantic relationship at the time of her killing.

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