A man suspected of beheading a woman with a sword in San Carlos will stand trial, a judge decided Wednesday during a preliminary hearing.
Jose Solano Landaeta was arrested in September after allegedly beheading 27-year-old Karina Castro on the street in front of her neighbors. Landaeta was the woman's estranged boyfriend.
Castro's family members were at the hearing on Wednesday.
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“I just want my daughter back. Justice? I mean, what is Justice in this? I mean, I guess if he spends his life in prison, I guess that’s the best I can ask for,” said Martin Castro Jr., Karina’s father.
The killing took place September 8, 2022, in front of Karina Castro’s San Carlos apartment.
On Wednesday, the prosecution called on numerous investigators, who recounted what witnesses said they saw, including a loud argument with Castro telling Landaeta, “F’ you, I have your kids. Are you going to beat me now?”
Several witnesses then said Landaeta took out what turned out to be a samurai sword from his car and struck Castro 8 to 10 times, including numerous times, while she was on the ground.
“The only thing that keeps me going are her daughters. That’s it. That’s the only reason I’m still going,” said Danielle Gannon, Karina’s grandmother.
A deputy testified Landaeta returned to the crime scene with his mom and turned himself in and said Karina was trying to kill him and that he was sorry.
Landaeta attorney said Karina Castro sent threatening messages on social media that triggered longstanding mental health issues that could lead to a claim of self-defense and a plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity."
“He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. He has certain mechanisms, certain layers to him, that cause him to go into an ‘adverse reality,’” said defense attorney Robert Cummings.
Legal analyst Dean Johnson said that even though the defendant was found mentally competent to stand trial, determining insanity is different.
“‘Legal insanity’ is very different from ‘clinical insanity’ and ultimately, we’re going to have to see what the doctors say,” he said.
The trial will start on March 23.
