Calif. man pleads guilty to decapitating grandmother and taking the head with him

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (TCD) -- A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty last week to killing and decapitating his grandmother, and taking the head with him when he fled.

Sonoma County court records show Luis Aroyo-Lopez entered the plea June 4 to a count of murder with a penalty enhancement. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 27.

According to the Santa Rosa Police Department, on Nov. 2, 2023, at 3:40 p.m., officers were called to a home on the 2500 block of Pomo Trail about a possible homicide. When they arrived, they found an adult female deceased and decapitated, but her "head was not located at the residence."

Police determined the suspect was blood-related to the victim and killed her in a "targeted attack." Officers reportedly located multiple weapons at the house as well.

Aroyo-Lopez fled the home after the killing and traveled to San Francisco, where he was apprehended.

Santa Rosa Police said detectives found the victim's head Nov. 4 on the banks of the Santa Rosa Creek. After an autopsy, she was identified as 64-year-old Elvia Aroyo-Lopez.