The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that a 56-year old man was charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend in their home on Monday. The suspect, Rafael Ayala Castillo, has been charged with one count of murder, that includes a special allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm, which caused great bodily injury and death to the victim.
Rafael Castillo and his girlfriend, Sandra Rodriguez Polanco, had been in a relationship for almost 10 years and shared an apartment together. The prosecutors stated that a family member of Polanco’s went to her home on September 12th, and found the victim with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The police began searching for Castillo, and the defendant was located that afternoon in the city of Reseda and taken into custody.
If he is convicted, Castillo faces a maximum possible sentence of 50 years to life in state prison.