A man from California has been accused of decapitating his former partner with a sword during the autumn of last year. He now claims that the beheading was an act of self-defense.
On September 8th, 2022, 33-year-old Jose Raphael Solano Landaeta was taken into custody for the homicide of Karina Castro in San Carlos. The man shares a 1-year-old daughter with the victim.
Eyewitnesses reported to law enforcement that Castro, age 27, had been brutally slain by a samurai sword close in a public area close to her house.
On Thursday, Solano, spoke with Dan Noyes of ABC7 during an interview at the San Mateo County Jail. He stated that his actions were an act of self-defense.
After the interview with Solano, Noyes reported: “He says she emerged from the driver’s side of that Volkswagen with the knife in hand and kind of marched towards him with this knife.”
The interviewer continued recounting their conversation, saying that “he claimed that he swung that sword in self-defense.”
Nevertheless, both prosecutors and the victim’s family are doubtful of Solano’s narrative considering the evidence that’s surfaced so far.
Danielle Gannon, who is the grandmother of Castro, stated to ABC7 that Solano is expected to use his diagnosed mental illness as a form of defense against severe charges.