A Southern California man pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-wife and dumping her body down a steep embankment.
Josefino Cayetano Maldonado, 45, of Salinas, murdered his ex-wife, Eudelia Gonzalez, in July 2021, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
On the night of July 10, 2021, Gonzalez left a party and met up with Maldonado. They had been separated for eight years at the time. They traveled up Potrero Road near Newbury Park, where they stopped at a park before heading toward Oxnard.
During the drive, Maldonado asked if they could reconcile their relationship, but Gonzalez refused.
Later that night at around 12:30 a.m., Maldonado pulled over near East Hueneme Road. After they both stepped out of the car, he struck Gonzalez in the head multiple times with a rock, leaving her incapacitated, authorities said.
He then placed Gonzalez in his car and drove north of Santa Barbara near Gaviota. He placed a plastic bag over her head, then wrapped her head in a sweatshirt before dumping her body down a steep embankment along the 101 Freeway, court documents said.
After Gonzalez did not return home, her 17-year-old daughter reported her missing. When Oxnard police questioned Maldonado, he allegedly denied seeing Gonzalez and claimed he had not been in Ventura County.
Detectives later found phone records that revealed Maldonado was in the area at the time of the crime.
“Confronted with this evidence, Maldonado ultimately admitted to the killing and later led detectives to the location of her body in Santa Barbara County,” prosecutors said.
On March 25, Maldonado pled guilty to second-degree murder along with the special allegation that he used a deadly weapon (rock).
“My hope is this plea and eventual sentence will help the victim’s family find the long-awaited closure they have been patiently waiting for,” said Tom Steele, a senior deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.
Maldonado is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22 at Ventura County Superior Court where he is expected to face 16 years to life in prison. He remains in custody without bail.
