Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
Cynthia Cdebaca was very happy to hear she fatally shot her son-in-law Geoward Eustaquio.
Gunshots ring out in a gated community….then hours later in interview like no other.
why in the world is this woman so happy…?
the anser may lie very close to home.
thery say you don’t choose your family
Geoward Eustaquio was pretty much a person that one would love to be around.
In this upscale neighborhood of fallbrook california.
Geoward a real estate agent and kids rugby coach lived with his wife laura.
and theit two children and his older son from a previous relationship.
and living in the guest house was laura’s mom Cynthia Cdebaca.
after her stroke Geoward wantede to make sure that cynthia received the care that she needed and what better place for her than to be among family.
three generation all living together.
there were conflicts conflicts most often between Geoward and his mosther – in -lawtheir relationship wasn’t the best and times they simply existed because both of them lived on the same property.one of the issues cynthia was a smoker something Geoward detested.
Geoward did not want cynthia to in the presence of his children.
cynthia eould be on the back padio smoking because she was not not allowed to smoke in the house and he would be out there watering and he would see
” oh where i see smoke , i see fire”
and he got to put out the fire an he would hose cynthia down with the hose.
he did it to laura , his wife .he would hose say something he didn’t like
and another reoccuring issue …
cynthia believed Geoward a military reservist was too strict with the kids.
she didn’t aprove of the way he disciplined the kids.
on the other hand Geoward didn’t aprove the way she would discipline his kids.
typical family problems perhaps ,but it probably wasn’t easy for cynthia’s daughter wife laura hwo often found herself in the middle.
but today is supposed to be different.
she had plan on going over there and taking her to lunch and pampering her that day and just spending the day with her .
but the spelling bee and birthday celebrations would never be when the piercing sounds of gunfire changed everyhing.concerned neighbors call 911.
as deputies quickly descend on the quiet enclave a trail of blood leeds thenm to the victim.
they looking on the windows of ther residence they did see thebody from outside.
and went in to actually conduct a rescue.but the rescue will prove pointless the victim is dead.
after many hours george , learns the body found lying in a pool of blood is his brother Geoward Eustaquio.
he’d beem shot multiple times.
george calls family on the east coast to give them the dreadful news.
Geoward Eustaquio has just been found savagely murdered in his own home,his bpdy riddled with bullets.
right now finding out the the who is the most pressing of those questions. while sheriff’s deputies are’t ruling anyone out including Geoward oldest son.
they have someone very specific in mind they want to talk to. Geoward mother- in -law cynthia Cdebaca.who lives with him and his family .
hours later detectives find Cynthia celebrating her birthday at her favorit coffe shop.
and take her down to the station. she did come into the police station in avery jovial kind of way happily greeting the police officers kind of like;
” hig what’s going on, what brings me here?”
cynthia about to learn exactly what brings her here.
but the cries quckly turn into contempt . a big thumps down .
cynthia tells detectives Geoward has been abusive to her , her daughter laura. and her grandkids for years, saying Geoward has sprayed her with water,tripped her and choked laura.
so clearly cynthia was not Geoward biggest fan but it’s what she says next that really blows detectives away….
in a shocking turn cynthia suddenly confesses to the murder.but what reason des she give for ccommitting this homicidal act?
detectives learn the final strawfor cynthia was a comment Geoward made that morning
she took a fence to that comment and went to got her revolver and ….
Geoward never saw the first shots coming .he was shot in the backcynthia was just getting started.
after she fired all shots aout of that revolver, she chose to go all the way to her car and reload five more rounds into her gun . she walked back into the backyard and found thevictim bleeding and crawling tryingto get away , and that time she pumped five more shots into his body , she still wasn’t done , she still chose to go to her car load five more rounds.
at that time the vitim had crawled his way into the hous and into the kitchen , she pulled out thar revolver and fired five more shots until the victim was finally dead..
cynthia emptied her 38 caliber revolver 3 times, stopping to reload twice.she even remember she”s firing 15 time rounds.
and of those 15 bullets shot 12 ,hit her son in law Geoward- killing him.
she went and enjoyedh er birthday ,she went to denny’s she went to pachanga- and gamble for two hours and then went enjoyed some coffee at a coffe shop until she was finmally cfontacted by the detectives.
unbeliveably detectives aren’t the only ones hearing cynthia’s heartless confession
Geoward family also hears it through the sheriff station walls.
she loudly said “yeas i shot him .”
would she do it again ? her anwser was ” yes.”
detectives allow family members to come in and say their goodbye
Laura , Geoward wife ,cynthias daughter is almost inconsolable.
and his young daughter,cynthias granddaughter cam barely make it in the room.
cynthia ask for a kiss . the daughter answer was ” no you killed my dad.
before placing Cynthia Cdebaca under arrest and taking her to jail,the detectives suggests one last thing.” however you pray to make sure that you pray for higher power.”
cynthias answer was she prayed to today, first time, ever prayed.
and what was she praying for ? ” hope he died”
detectives: oh boy…
this was a cold callous premeditated murder.
this was a cold callous premidated murder.Cynthia Cdebaca is charged with first -degree murder. she had been planning this. she actually had been to the shooting range two weeks earlier and was practicing shooting with this very gun.
doctors evaluate Cynthia Cdebaca finding her competent to stamd trial.
almost 3 years after Geoward was gunn down opening statements.
she would refer to herself as ghetto grandma she would call herself that even to her own grand kids. and she tells them how it happened, she doesn’t minimize she’s protecting them until the end.
so does laura testify for the defense or the prosecution?the victims wife testified for the defense in order to support claims that the victim was abusive.
so the defense has laura. but the prosecution has the interrogation video.
many days and witnesses later the case goes to the jury.
and when everyone is back in court to hear the verdict,cynthia is seen strangely wawing to the judge.but it doesn’t help. Cynthia Cdebaca is found guilty.
“she showed no remors.nonwhatsoever.non.”
at Cynthia sentening Geoward sister Geonisa hold up 15 photos for the 15 shots fire.
laura also adresses the court.” i love my mom, she’s not well but i love Geoward too .”
the guilty killer grandma is going down hard. 66 year old Cynthia Cdebaca is sentenced 50 years to life.
so the one question remains was there a buse ?
“we looked into the various claims of abuse and we simply just determined thatwhether or not they were true the defendant had no right to make herself the judge ,jury and executioner this was simply an act of vigilante homicide.”