A cascading tragedy struck numerous families in the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this month when a pregnant mother of four was strangled to death just weeks before the birth of her fifth child.
Kirsten Castle, 37, was discovered dead on the night of August 4 by her 10-year-old daughter, adding to the horror of the loss.
Andrew Coleman, 32, is charged with two charges of first-degree murder, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and jail records. According to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, the charges of premeditated killing for Castle and their unborn child include special circumstances claims.
On the night in question, the victim’s 10-year-old daughter from a previous relationship was dropped off at her home on South B Street. She discovered her mother dead, naked from the waist up, in a family room and called 911, according to The Mercury News.
The father of Castle’s four surviving children launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist the family, which has been stricken by a “heartbreaking tragedy.”
“Kirsten was very self-driven and focused,” Darryl Harvey stated in the fundraiser description. “She was an excellent mother to her four children and a strong, resilient woman. This heartbreaking loss has left our family, friends, and neighbors reeling. While we cannot remove the agony of this unspeakable tragedy, we can band together to help those left behind.”
“The lives lost were precious and full of promise,” the woman’s estranged husband stated.
According to CBS News, paramedics concluded that Castle, who was about nine months pregnant, and the unborn baby died at the scene of the crime. Coleman was immediately recognized as the primary suspect, in part because he was not present when the child made the tragic discovery and made the harrowing call to emergency personnel.
According to KRON, investigators believe the suspect is the father of the slain unborn child.
Hours later, the defendant was in custody.
Coleman allegedly stole Castle’s vehicle and a safe containing $37,000 cash from the woman’s home, where he was authorized to dwell. During his arrest, investigators allegedly discovered the stolen safe inside the stolen car.
Castle’s mother told San Jose-based NBC affiliate KNTV that Coleman took his clothes with him when he left south.
Using license plate readers, investigators in the Los Angeles County community of West Covina, which is about 19 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, located the automobile and detained the man on suspicion of murder. San Mateo County law enforcement officers then drove to Southern California to talk with Coleman. He was later charged with murder and transported back up north.
The defendant appeared for an initial arraignment on Tuesday, but no plea was made. He is scheduled for another hearing on September 4.
Coleman is being held in the Maguire Correctional Facility without bail. If convicted as charged, he risks a life sentence without the possibility of release.