The murder case against a California man accused of killing and dismembering his wife before setting her body on fire has been paused due to questions about his mental competence.
Valentino Gutierrez, 64, was charged with murder and arson after allegedly strangling his 31-year-old wife, Tiana Alfred, dismembering her body at an abandoned Pasadena restaurant, and then transporting her remains in a suitcase on a public train before setting the luggage ablaze in a Home Depot parking lot, according to Law & Crime. The gruesome killing took place in early 2018, and Gutierrez was arrested shortly after firefighters discovered human remains inside the burned suitcase.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Gutierrez traveling on the Metro Gold Line with a bicycle and the suitcase, exiting at the Lincoln/Cypress Station before riding to the Home Depot on Figueroa Street. "Once the fire was put out, the firefighters found human remains," the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. Investigators eventually linked the suitcase to Gutierrez and took him into custody.
At a hearing on July 17, Gutierrez's defense attorneys submitted a formal doubt about his mental state. The judge suspended criminal proceedings pending a mental competency evaluation, and a hearing is set for July 31.
Alfred and Gutierrez were reportedly living in a homeless shelter at the time of the killing, and police have yet to confirm a clear motive. LAPD Capt. Billy Hayes called the murder "grotesque" and said it showed "an awful lot of effort and determination by an individual, which is pretty cold." Deputy Chief Justin Eisenberg described the case as a "particularly disturbing homicide because of its sheer brutality."
Gutierrez has a long criminal record that includes convictions for robbery, battery, domestic violence, and weapons possession. Whether the trial will resume depends on the results of the court-ordered mental health assessment.
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