Man Convicted Of 1990 Murder Of Wife's Boss

CERRITOS, CA — A 64-year-old man was sentenced today to life in state prison without the possibility of parole for stabbing his estranged wife and killing her employer nearly 30 years ago, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

A jury found Santos Lopez Corado guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder on Oct. 20. There were two special circumstance allegations: one, that the killing was committed in the commission of an attempted kidnapping, and two, that the defendant personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife, during the crime. Both of these special circumstance allegations were found to be true by the jury.

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 wife. At the time of the crime, Corado's wife had left him and was working as a childcare worker in a Cerritos home, the prosecutor said.

On Dec. 8, 1990, Corado traveled to his estranged wife'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 wife before fleeing the scene, the prosecutor added.

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.

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