SAN MATEO — Officials have released the identity of a pregnant woman who was found dead in her home earlier this month, leading authorities to arrest her live-in boyfriend in the death.
The victim is Kirsten Castle, a 37-year-old woman from San Mateo, the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office said. She died on Aug. 4. Prosecutors said she was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.
Related Articles
Peninsula man arrested in trio of random assaults
Former employee faces felony charges for threat to kill workers at site of Half Moon Bay mass shooting
Three suspects arrested in San Mateo on suspicion of armed robbery and attempted carjacking
San Mateo man sentenced to 16 years in prison after driving into a group of teenagers
Survey: Decrease in violent crime reported in 3 major Bay Area cities
Authorities suspect that Castle’s boyfriend, Andrew Coleman, strangled Castle in the family room of their home. Coleman is facing two counts of murder and could possibly receive the death penalty or life without parole if convicted.
He is being held without bail and is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4.
According to press notes from the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, Coleman, a 32-year-old San Mateo resident, had been dating Castle and she was pregnant with their child. They also lived together at Castle’s duplex in San Mateo.
After the killing, prosecutors say, Castle’s 10-year-old daughter from a prior marriage found her mother’s body topless and dead on the floor, after the girl was dropped off at home.
Authorities claimed that Coleman stole Castle’s car and drove to Southern California after the killing. Police tracked the car to West Covina using license plate readers and found a safe that was stolen from the duplex containing $37,000.
