Garden Grove mass stabbing suspect is charged with 4 counts of murder, other crimes
Prosecutors have charged a 33-year-old man with four counts of murder after police say he went on a violent stabbing spree in Garden Grove and Santa Ana this week.
Zachary Castaneda, a documented gang member from Garden Grove, faces felonies and enhancements that make him eligible for the death penalty, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said on Friday, August 9.
Castaneda faces a minimum sentence of life without the possibility of parole if convicted on all charges.
He’s been charged with four felony counts of murder, one felony count of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation, one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count of aggravated mayhem, one felony count of first degree residential burglary and three felony counts of second degree robbery.
He also faces enhancements for multiple murders, murder during a robbery, for committing additional crimes while out on bail on three separate criminal cases, having committed a prior serious and violent felony, having committed a prior serious felony and committing a felony within five years of having spent more than a year in state prison.
On Friday afternoon, Castaneda had to be arraigned in his cell because he refused to leave it, District Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said. He pleaded not guilty.
Friday’s charges will add to Castaneda’s long criminal history that includes busts for possessing drugs, gang vandalism and car thefts. His wife – who filed for divorce in February – has also alleged domestic violence and at one point filed a restraining order against the man.
He was not eligible for bail.
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In a little more than two hours on Wednesday, August 7, police say, Castaneda left a trail of destruction that ended lives and wounded people going about their day, including one man pumping gas whose nose he nearly sliced off.
Castaneda led Garden Grove police and other law enforcement agencies on a manhunt that spanned eight crime scenes. On top of the heinous killings, authorities said, he also committed robberies during his rampage, taking off with money or property.
See also: ‘The guy unleashed evil:’ Garden Grove police identify suspected killer, describe stabbing spree attacks
Undercover detectives arrested Castaneda when they saw him leaving a 7-Eleven armed with a knife and gun stolen from a man he’d just killed inside the store.
Police have said that the victims were randomly targeted and Castaneda has not said why he went on the killing spree.