A Northern California man pled guilty to murdering his ex-wife in Ventura County.
Prosecutors say in July of 2021, Josefino Cayetano Maldonado met with his ex-wife, Eudelia Gonzales. They had been separated for eight years. Officials say he wanted to rekindle the relationship, but she refused.
They drove to Oxnard and stopped near East Hueneme Road. Detectives say he hit her in the head with a rock and dumped her body off Highway 101 on the Gaviota Coast. Maldonado initially denied he was in the area, but police say phone records connected him to the murder.
The 45-year-old Salinas man pled guilty to the killing and led investigators to his ex-wife’s body. As a result of the plea, it’s expected he’ll receive a 16-years-to-life state prison sentence.
