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Pasadena Homeless Man Charged With Murder of Wife
News Feb 08, 2018
A man allegedly chopped up a body at this closed Pasadena restaurant, Dona Rosa Bakery and Taqueria, 577 S. Arroyo Parkway, before transporting the remains in a suitcase on a Metro Gold Line train. The burned remains were discovered outside a Home Depot in Cypress Park, and a man has been arrested in connection with the crime. (Google Street View)
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Valentino Gutierrez (inset) allegedly murdered a 31 year old in this shuttered Pasadena Restaurant. -Photos courtesy Google Maps and Facebook
Dismembered Burned Remains Found
By Terry Miller
A Pasadena man was charged Tuesday with killing a person whose burned remains were found last week in Cypress Park, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Valentino Gutierrez was charged with one count each of murder and arson of property. He also is accused of using an accelerant. The victim is thought to be the suspect’s wife 31-year-old Tiana Alfred. Gutierrez was arraigned Tuesday in Department D of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Pasadena Branch.
The Pasadena Police dept. said “this senseless act of violence was not random. There are indications that the victim was known to the suspect.” Pasadena continues to be a safe community. Overall crime dropped about 22% over the past year (YTD according to Pasadena Police preliminary analysis). Although the crime allegedly occurred in an abandoned commercial property on S. Arroyo Parkway, the police department only responded to the location three times in 2017, for homeless related concerns. The Pasadena Police Department will continue to work closely with the Code Enforcement Section to conduct high visibility patrols and ensure the structure on the property is secured. “Any act of violence is concerning and is never acceptable. Pasadena Police Officers work proactively to safeguard our community. Our efforts in this case underscore the robust partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department, which cannot be underestimated” said Pasadena Police Chief Sanchez.
Deputy District Attorney Rachel Bowers of the Arson and Explosives Section is prosecuting the case. On Feb. 1, firefighters responded to a blaze about 1:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of Figueroa Street. Once the fire was put out, the firefighters found human remains, the prosecutor said. Surveillance video allegedly led investigators to Gutierrez who was later arrested. The murder was believed to have occurred on or about Jan. 31 at a Pasadena restaurant that had been closed for several months, the prosecutor added. Gutierrez also allegedly dismembered the body in Pasadena then transported body parts via Gold line to Cypress Park. Bail is set at $2.1 million. If convicted as charged, Gutierrez faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.
