Trial date set for woman accused of murdering son-in-law

A Fallbrook woman who is accused of shooting and killing her son-in-law made another appearance in Vista Superior Court Tuesday, March 10 where a jury trial date was set for Sept. 8.

Cynthia Katherine Cdebaca, 63, who has been charged with first-degree murder, continues to be held on $5 million bail. She was taken into custody Feb. 11, 2014 following the death of 53-year-old Geoward Flores Eustaquio, who was married to Cdebaca's daughter, Laura Salinas, at the time.

Cdebaca, who lived with the couple and their teenage children, reportedly became angry at her son-in-law as a result of some comments he made to her that morning. Following that, she is accused of going to a granny flat she lived in on the property, retrieving a handgun, and shooting Eustaquio until she had expended all the bullets in the gun. She is said to have gone to her car at that point to obtain more bullets and returned to shoot him at least two more times. Cdebaca and Eustaquio were the only two individuals at the home at the time of the crime.

An autopsy on Eustaquio's body reportedly revealed a total of eleven bullet wounds from a .38 caliber revolver.

Authorities were called by neighbors while the gunfire was still underway at the residence located on Braemar Terrace.

After the murder and before deputies arrived, Cdebaca allegedly left the house, disposed of the gun and ammunition, went out to breakfast, then to a casino in Temecula to gamble. Ultimately she returned to Fallbrook and to her favorite coffee shop on Main Avenue. Officers located her about 5 p.m. that day and claimed she admitted responsibility for the shooting, indicating she didn't like the way Eustaquio treated her and her grandchildren.

A psychiatric evaluation was done on Cdebaca earlier to determine if she was mentally capable of standing trial and a judge

ruled September 16, 2014 that she was.