California: New Homeowner Discovers Body Of 84-Year-Old Man Killed By 74-Year-Old Girlfriend
A 74-year-old woman has been arrested in Simi Valley, California, after the body of her 84-year-old boyfriend was discovered inside their old home. According to KTLA 5, the body of the elderly man, later identified as Salvatore Orefice, was found by the new owner of the home. The couple had reportedly sold the home to the unidentified new owner for $430,000 on June 22. The home was located in the 6200 block of Anastasia Street in Simi Valley, California. The woman has since then been identified as Mary Karacas.
After the sale of the home was finalized, Salvatore Orefice and Mary Karacas had 30 days to move out of the property. On Sunday, the new homeowner went to his new home at around 4:15 p.m. local time to have a look. When he opened a door to one of the bedrooms, he was shocked to find the body of Salvatore Orefice lying on a bed, covered in a sheet. Local police officials were quickly alerted about the discovery. Mary Karacas was then called to the scene of the crime by police officers and was arrested a few hours later. Mary has since then admitted to have shot her boyfriend dead following an altercation.
75yo woman booked for murder after new Simi Valley homeowners discover body in bedroom https://t.co/f1kMVB7c9a pic.twitter.com/Y4akupb74S
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 18, 2016
A statement was issued by the Simi Valley Police Department, which described the incident. It read,
“On Sunday afternoon at about 4:15 p.m. Simi Valley Police Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 6200 block of Anastasia Ave. to check the welfare of an unresponsive male subject inside the residence. On arrival the Officers were met by the reporting party who directed them to a bedroom where the partially covered body an obviously deceased male was located. In their assessment of the scene the Officers determined the circumstances were suspicious to the degree that Department Homicide Investigators were called to the scene. During the course of the ensuing investigation it was determined that the subject, Salvatore Orefice (84 years) had been the victim of a gunshot wound. While at the scene, Mary Karacas (75 years) arrived. In the subsequent interview Karacas told investigators that she had shot Orefice, with whom she had a long standing relationship, during an altercation. Karacas was later booked at the Ventura County Main Jail for 187 P.C., Murder.”
Woman makes gruesome find after moving into Simi Valley home, former homeowner arrested https://t.co/6PCBp7Eeib
— KTVU (@KTVU) July 19, 2016
Meanwhile, Simi Valley Police Cmdr. Roy Jones has confirmed that there are no other suspects in this case. He also noted that this was the first homicide to be reported from the area in 2016. It is currently unclear how long the man had been dead when his body was finally discovered. Simi Valley is known to be among the safest cities in the U.S. A note on the official website of the Simi Valley Police Department reads,
“The City of Simi Valley prides itself on being one of America’s safest cities. Our people are our greatest resource.”
This is not the first time the Inquisitr has reported about an elderly woman killing her partner. Earlier this year, a similar incident was reported from Fresno, again in California, where a 76-year-old woman was arrested on May 17 for the murder of her husband. The woman, identified later as Gloria Villa, also left his body on the floor of their home after killing him. In fact, she even went to a neighbor’s place to ask if her husband had come there and accused them of holding him hostage. The neighbors reported the incident to the police who later arrived and questioned her. Gloria was suspected of suffering from dementia. Gloria and her husband were believed to be a loving couple and primary investigations made authorities realize that Gloria might not be even aware that she had somehow killed her husband. The case is still under investigation.
[Image via Simi Valley Police Department]
