San Mateo girl, 10, found slain mother's body: prosecutors

(KRON) — A 10-year-old girl found her mother’s lifeless body after violence broke out inside a San Mateo home, prosecutors said.

The girl made the tragic discovery on August 4 when she was dropped off at home. Her mother, 37-year-old Kirsten Castle, had been strangled to death in the family room, according to prosecutors with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Castle was nine months pregnant. Her boyfriend, 32-year-old Andrew Coleman, was quickly identified as the suspected killer, according to police.

Coleman was the father of Castle’s unborn baby, investigators said.

Police said Coleman murdered his girlfriend and unborn child inside their duplex apartment at 1314 South B Street. After the killings, he stole a safe from the apartment with $37,000 cash inside, and stole the victim’s car, according to the DA’s office.

San Mateo police used automatic license plate reading cameras to track the stolen car as Coleman drove south to Southern California. Police stopped the car in West Covina, Calif., and arrested the boyfriend.

The district attorney’s office charged Coleman with two counts of first-degree murder. If convicted, he could face life in prison without possibility of parole.

Coleman made his first court appearance on Tuesday and he did not enter a plea. A judge ordered the boyfriend to return to court on September 4 for arraignment.

The father of Castle’s surviving children created a GoFundMe page to help her family with expenses. The father wrote on GoFundMe, “Kirsten was very self-driven and focused. She was a great mother to her four children and a strong, resilient woman. This devastating loss has left our family, friends, and neighbors reeling. The lives lost were precious and full of promise.”

A candlelight vigil organized by the victim’s loved ones will be held in San Mateo Central Park on Saturday.

Coleman remains in custody with no bail.

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