SAN CARLOS, Calif. — A man charged with beheading the mother of his baby in the middle of a San Carlos street last week must undergo a mental competency exam before authorities can prosecute him in connection with the vicious killing, a judge ruled Monday.
Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta, 33, is being held without bail in the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City on murder charges. He made his first appearance in a San Mateo County courtroom Monday afternoon for allegedly using what prosecutors described as a “Samurai sword” to kill his estranged girlfriend, 27-year-old Karina Castro.
His defense attorney, Robert Cummings, immediately asked Court Commissioner Sarah Burdick to have the court examine Solano’s fitness for court and his ability to participate in his own legal defense.
