San Carlos beheading defendant skips court Tuesday; DA says he won’t seek mistrial

REDWOOD CITY — After a courtroom scene Monday that prompted prosecutors and a judge to question a “marked change” in the defendant’s behavior, a man accused of beheading his child’s mother with a sword last year skipped out on his own trial Tuesday, prompting the defense to rest its case.

Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta’s absence came just one day after a bizarre courtroom episode that unfolded when the 34-year-old defendant was cross-examined by prosecutors: He denied committing the killing and even denied recognizing a photo of the victim — 27-year-old Karina Castro — while testifying under oath. Solano then became nonresponsive for the rest of his cross-examination, prompting Judge Lisa Novak to recess court for the day.

Solano is accused of the daytime killing of Castro, allegedly using a sword that he pulled from his car as the two were arguing. Authorities say Solano used the sword to hack Castro to death, cutting off one of her arms and striking her at least seven times on her head and neck.

After Solano went through his period of nonresponsiveness on the stand and the jury had been excused, prosecutors noted their displeasure on the record, saying that Solano had resumed speaking shortly after jurors left.

The unpredictable nature of Monday’s situation led the trial to resume Tuesday morning behind closed doors and with no jury as Novak decided whether or not to strike Solano’s testimony from the record. She ultimately decided against it, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday afternoon.

Wagstaffe also said calling for a mistrial was “out of the question” as the defense was set to rest Tuesday afternoon, leaving the case in the hands of the prosecution for any rebuttal witnesses.

The killing itself was not in question; the attack on Castro on a San Carlos street in September 2022 was seen by several witnesses. One of them testified at the trial’s opening, recalling that as she walked home from brunch with friends, she saw Solano and Castro argue, then watched in horror as Solano got the sword from his car and brutally attacked Castro.

Solano’s attorneys discarded a preliminary legal claim that the defendant was legally insane at the time of the killing, instead rallying around an “imperfect self-defense” argument over the course of the trial, which began earlier this month. The claim rests on several assertions — that Solano, described by his attorney as a man who experienced chronic paranoia and schizophrenia, had gone to meet Castro in an effort to de-escalate an ongoing argument between the two, and that he was motivated to defend himself by fears fed by online threats the victim made before the fatal encounter.

Castro’s relatives and friends — including her father, mother and grandmother — have sat in the gallery for portions of the trial. They wept as prosecutors described the killing during opening arguments.