64-Year-Old Man Found Guilty In 1990 Cerritos Murder

CERRITOS, CA – A 64-year-old man was found guilty Friday of stabbing his ex-girlfriend and killing her employer nearly 30 years ago, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. The jury deliberated for less than a day before finding Santos Lopez Corado guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Jurors also found true a special circumstance allegation that the killing was committed in the commission of an attempted kidnapping, as well as a special allegation that the defendant personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife, during the crime. Corado is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Norwalk Branch. He faces a maximum possible sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office press release said.

Deputy District Attorney Amanda Luna of the Victim Impact Program, who prosecuted the case, said Corado had an extensive history of domestic violence against his girlfriend, who is the mother of his children. At the time of the crime, Corado's girlfriend had left him and was working as a maid in a Cerritos home, the prosecutor said.

On Dec. 8, 1990, Corado traveled to his ex-girlfriend's place of employment, forced himself into the home and fatally attacked the homeowner, Kianfar Barkhordar, according to the prosecutor. During the assault, Corado also stabbed and seriously injured his ex-girlfriend before fleeing the scene, the prosecutor said.

Authorities investigated the incident and on Feb. 21, 1991, a warrant was issued for Corado's arrest, however, his whereabouts remained unknown. On Oct. 9, 2015, law enforcement located Corado in Guatemala and the defendant was extradited to California to face criminal prosecution for the 1990 attack, according to the press release.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

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