SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. — A man in San Mateo County, California was sentenced Tuesday to nearly three decades to life in prison for the murder of a woman in 2022.
Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison. Landaeta was found guilty last November of first-degree murder of Karina Castro, according to KPIX.
Landaeta killed Castro, 27, outside of her apartment in San Castro in Sept. 2022, KNTV reported.
Witnesses told investigators that they saw Castro running for her life down the street as Landaeta chased with a sword. Castro was almost beheaded, KRON reported.
“This is by far the most difficult trial I’ve ever presided over because of the horror of the crime you committed in butchering Karina Castro,” Judge Lisa Novak said during the proceeding, according to KNTV. “I have no discretion, so it is a sentence based on the verdict of the jury. What the community needs to understand is that this incredible act of violence is not related to untreated mental illness.”
Landaeta must serve 26 years before he can be considered for parole. Wagstaffe said that he also must pay a $20,000 fine along with additional restitution to Castro’s family, according to the news outlet.
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