Karina Castro GoFundMe raises more than $18,000 after young California mother is beheaded outside her home in San Carlos 

On September 8, 2022, the 27-year-old California-native Karina Castro was beheaded with a sword in front of her home by her former boyfriend, Jose Solano Landaeta. Law enforcement has revealed that the latter was arrested on homicide charges on Friday, September 9. The victim was a mother of two children, one of whom is Landaeta’s daughter.

The victim was brutally killed in San Carlos, just 24 miles away from San Franciso. Her ex-partner killed her outside her apartment around 11.50 am after a domestic dispute. Witnesses were quick to call the police as the attack occurred. Unfortunately, Karina Castra had already passed away when the officers arrived.

Local media outlets reported that the victim was killed with a sword. However, the police have only described the weapon as a “stabbing instrument.”

Following the attack, the murderer fled on foot. However, he returned unarmed to the crime scene. He currently remains behind bars without bail.

In an exclusive interview with ABC 7, Karina Castro’s family claimed that the 33-year-old suspect was diagnosed with schizophrenia. ABC stated that the victim had obtained a temporary restraining order from Landaeta in April after he was physically abusive towards her. It remains unclear, however, whether the order was active at the time of Castro’s death.

Days before the gruesome attack, the couple was involved in a heated spar. The IT team obtained dozens of Snapchat messages where the two were endlessly fighting. In one of the messages, Castro threatened to expose Landaeta’s criminal record, which included a rape conviction involving a minor. In the text messages, he called her a “snitch lip” and warned her “F**k around and find out.”

Karina Castro wrote back in a text:

“U wanna put a target on my back, ur homies gunna kno the real u”

Karina Castro was threatening to expose his sexual relationship with another man. She added, “Dude, go head try and take my a** out.”

Lt. Eamonn Allen from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press conference that the victim’s children, seven and one years old, did not witness the attack.

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GoFundMe raises over $18,800 “in loving memory of Karina Castro”

The victim received her GED and worked as a door dash driver. Geneva Castro created a GoFundMe on behalf of Martin Castro. The fundraiser read:

“Her family is broken hearted by her gruesome murder.”

At the time of writing this article, the fundraiser had amassed $18,887. The top donation of $2000 was made by an unidentified person.

Along with GoFundMe, The Community Foundation of San Carlos and the City of San Carlos have created a fund for Karina Castro's children. According to their official website, all the donations made will go to the children.

Sara McDowell, the mayor of San Carlos, expressed shock over the “tragic” attack. She said in a statement:

“The City Council and its employees join our community in expressing our deepest condolences to the two young children who lost their mother in this horrific and senseless act of violence and to all the victims’ family, friends, and loved ones who suffer this loss as well”

Jose Solano Landaeta’s arraignment is scheduled for Monday, September 12, 2022.