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Murder of Geoward Estaquio

On February 11, 2014, 53-year-old Geoward Estaquio made some comments about his mother-in-law’s clothing that she took offense to.

63-year-old Cynthia Cdebaca didn’t like Estaquio because of how he treated her daughter and grandkids.

She had been practicing her shot at a local gun range and was looking for a reason to kill him.

Whatever he said about her outfit that day was the last straw for her, as she went and got her 5-shot revolver. When she returned, she waited until Estaquio’s back was turned, and then she started shooting.

The attack lasted 10 minutes. Cdebaca’s gun only held 5 bullets. So, she had to go to her vehicle a couple of times to reload.

She had time to think about what she was doing, but she didn’t care. She shot the lock off a door after Estaquio crawled away and locked it behind him.

At the end of the attack, 15 bullets were fired. Twelve of them hit Estaquio, and he was stuck several times when he was already on the ground trying to get away.

After pumping hot lead into her son-in-law, she headed to a local restaurant for breakfast, because it was her 63^rd birthday. She then went to her favorite casino for 2 hours to gamble.

Detectives caught up with her that afternoon at a local coffee shop and took her in for questioning.

Interrogation goes viral

At first, she tried to play dumb, like she didn’t know why she was there. When she was told of his death, she acted distraught.

It didn’t take long before the tears dried up and her real feelings began to surface. She told them she hated him, and once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. The only thing she wanted to know was that he was gone for good.

She was excited to learn he had passed. She would go on to explain how she felt he deserved it.

Throughout her interrogation, she seemed to think she was helping her family and saving them.

She may have thought they would thank her for what she had done, but she was wrong. Once she saw how her daughter and grandchild reacted, I think it hit her that she was the only one who wanted him gone.

Legal Proceedings

Years later, at trial, her daughter testified for the defense. She stated that while she loved Estaquio, he was verbally and physically abusive toward her. She also revealed that he broke his son’s electronics and sprayed people with water if they were misbehaving.

One of the most devastating things that was revealed is that Estaquio threw the ashes of Cdebaca’s late husband.

Estaquio’s siblings described him as a “vibrant spirit” with “unwavering love for his family”.

One of his sisters also said, “His strict disposition was misunderstood”.

In March 2017, she was given 50 years to life, which is essentially a death sentence for the 65-year-old. She apologized for her actions and wasn’t celebratory like she had been during her interrogation.

As of August 2025, she is not listed as an inmate in the California inmate search. Her whereabouts are unknown.