By Redacción
redaccion@latinocc.com
A Salinas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the brutal 2021 murder of his ex-wife, admitting to striking her with a rock and dumping her body off a highway embankment in Santa Barbara County.
Josefino Cayetano Maldonado, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and admitted to using a deadly weapon in the killing of Eudelia Gonzalez, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced. He faces a sentence of 16 years to life in state prison.
Under California law, a conviction for second-degree murder carries a penalty of 15 years to life. The special allegation of personally using a deadly weapon adds an additional year to the sentence.
A Deadly Encounter After a Party
According to prosecutors, Gonzalez and Maldonado had been separated for eight years when they met on the night of July 10, 2021, after Gonzalez left a party. The two drove along Potrero Road near Newbury Park, stopping at a park before heading toward Oxnard.
During the drive, Maldonado asked Gonzalez to reconcile their relationship, but she refused. Shortly after, around 12:30 a.m. on July 11, he pulled over near East Hueneme Road. As they stood outside the vehicle, Maldonado repeatedly struck Gonzalez in the head with a rock, leaving her incapacitated.
He then placed her in his car and drove north toward Gaviota in Santa Barbara County. Once there, he covered her head with a plastic bag, wrapped it in a sweatshirt, and dumped her body down a steep embankment along the US 101 freeway.
Investigation Leads to a Confession
The case unfolded after Gonzalez’s 17-year-old daughter reported her missing when she failed to return home and did not show up for work.
Oxnard Police detectives questioned Maldonado, who initially denied seeing Gonzalez that night and claimed he had not been in Ventura County. However, phone records placed him at the crime scene. Confronted with the evidence, Maldonado eventually confessed and led detectives to her body’s location in Santa Barbara County.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Tom Steele, who prosecuted the case, said he hopes the guilty plea will bring some peace to the victim’s family.
“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,” Steele said.
Sentencing Scheduled for April
Maldonado is set to be sentenced on April 22, 2025, at 9 a.m. in courtroom 48 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He remains in custody without bail.
