A community held a prayer vigil and called for justice in San Carlos Friday, after a mother of two was beheaded allegedly by her estranged boyfriend.
Friends, neighbors and San Carlos community members, who attended the vigil described Karina Castro, 27, as a beautiful person, who lived for her children and did everything she could to keep them safe.
Investigators said Thursday that Karina Castro, a mother of two little girls, ages 7 and 1, was brutally murdered by her estranged boyfriend, Jose Landaeta Solano. Sources told NBC Bay Area that Solano was armed with a samurai sword.
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“If he’s willing to decapitate my daughter in broad daylight with her children right there, he needs to die,” said Martin Castro Jr., the victim’s father.
The Castro family said that Karina had filed a restraining order against Solano.
“I feel like this is a horror movie that I have to wake up from,” Martin Castro Jr. said.
Deputies confirmed Thursday they had contacted Solano several times in the past for domestic violence and other crimes.
Nathaniel Chan, who was the victim’s neighbor, recalled Karina Castro talking about how afraid she was of Solano.
“Also, the night before, she was pacing back and forth in front of the house, just the night before and I heard she was talking really loud on the phone and said, 'It feels like I’ve got a target on my back,'” Chan said.
Solano has been booked into jail and is expected to be in court Monday, where Martin Castro Jr. said he will plead for the death penalty. For now, Martin Castro Jr.'s goal is to reunite with his granddaughters.
“I can’t even feel anything right now, except hurt, I’m empty,” he said.
