For nearly three hours on Monday, November 13, accused killer José Rafael Solano Landaeta spoke in detail about conversations he had with Karina Castro hours before her assassination, saying he feared for his life.
Landaeta, 33, of Hayward, is on trial in San Mateo County Superior Court for the murder of Castro, a 27-year-old mother of two, with a samurai sword in front of his apartment in San Carlos on September 8, 2022. Landaeta is the father of one of Castro’s children.
But the cross-examination lasted only about 15 minutes, during which Landaeta failed to recognize a photo of Castro, saying he did not kill her. He then asked for a break, but back on the witness stand he appeared asleep and did not respond to prosecutors.
During the break, Castro’s father, Martin Castro, said he was shocked that Landaeta refused to acknowledge Castro’s photo or his involvement in his death.
“The frustration isn’t even the beginning. I’m blown away right now. It’s been about a minute, I don’t think it could get any worse, and the next minute I’m thinking, OK, it’s worse,” a Martin said. Castro, who added that he believed Landaeta was playing a game with the justice system by trying to claim he was not competent, which would slow down the trial.
During his testimony, Landaeta’s attitude seemed to change throughout the day.
Wearing a striped jacket and slicked back hair, he repeatedly said he felt threatened that Castro would have him and his family killed.
But when asked to explain what he meant when he messaged Castro, “F*** around and find out,” in a Snapchat social media thread hours before his dead, he seemed defensive, saying she was lying about him.
“Now she implicates my associates and lies about it, so when she implicates my associates, it’s a problem,” Landaeta said. “That’s the ultimate threat, trying to get your people to turn against you. You know, if she wants to go to war, then I’m going to have to mind my own business because I’m not going to let you kill me .” and that everything happens to my mother.”
His defense attorney claimed his mental illness triggered a psychotic episode fueled by arguments on the phone that led Landaeta to believe Castro wanted to have him and his family killed. Landaeta claimed he acted out of fear and in self-defense, saying he thought Castro was trying to stab him in the heart.
While his lawyer, Robert Cummings, said it was not a question of “who did it, but why”, during his opening statement On Monday, November 6, Landaeta stopped answering prosecutors’ questions after saying he did not kill Castro. Landaeta previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but was found competent to stand trial by court-appointed doctors.
Landaeta had a restraining order to stay away from Castro, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. During Monday’s trial, Assistant Prosecutor Josh Stauffer, who objected several times, noted that Landaeta recited responses from notes he took during text messages conversations between him and Castro.
Novak ended the trial an hour early when Landaeta refused to answer questions. Landaeta claimed he was unable to answer questions because he had a panic attack due to his mental illness.
San Mateo County Prosecutor Steve Wagstaffe said it was the first time he had seen someone stop answering questions on the stand.
“(This is) one of hundreds of murder cases we’ve had in this county over the decades where someone stopped answering questions,” Wagstaffe said.
