Prosecution lays out case against woman who fatally shot her son-in-law

The San Diego County District Attorney's office has begun to lay out its case against a Fallbrook woman who fatally shot her son-in-law after he made a comment about the way she was dressed.

According to previous Village News reports, Cynthia Cdebaca, 65, killed 53-year-old Geoward Eustaquio in his home at approximately 8 a.m. on Feb. 11, 2014 after he commented about the way she was dressed and told her to change. The two were alone in the residence.

Cdebaca went to her granny flat adjacent to the main residence, retrieved a .38-caliber five shot revolver she had purchased two weeks prior, and fired all five rounds at Eustaquio, who stood in a patio on the residence.

According to prosecutor Tracy Prior, Cdebaca walked to her car, where she had a box of ammunition, reloaded the gun, and emptied the gun once more into Eustaquio once she realized he wasn’t dead and was trying to crawl into the house.

After the shooting, Cdebaca went to the Fallbrook Denny’s, then headed to Pechanga Casino to gamble before stopping to buy cigarettes and stopping at her favorite coffee shop, where she was arrested.

Last year, a judge found Cdebaca mentally competent to stand trial. During the opening proceedings on Jan. 24, prosecutors showed jurors video footage of Cdebaca admitting that she shot Eustaquio. In the footage, Cdebaca told detectives that she bought a gun, and that she and her son-in-law had been arguing the morning of the shooting. During the argument, Eustaquio told Cdebaca that she looked “ghetto,” and that she couldn’t go to her granddaughter’s spelling bee in her outfit.

This was Cdebaca’s boiling point.

"I shot him 10 times then he went inside the house and locked the door,” said Cdebaca, who shot through the door, entered the home, and stood over Eustaquio’s body.

When asked if she shot the revolver until it was empty, Cdebaca answered, “Yes, until it was empty.”

During questioning, Cdebaca claimed Eustaquio had been mean and abusive to her for 13 years, but there were no documented reports of domestic violence.

“They were afraid of him, yes," said Cdebaca, referring to her daughter and grandchildren. "So mean to my daughter. I told her 13 years ago, he’s evil.”

In addition to the admission, jurors saw Cdebaca celebrating the fact that her son-in-law was dead, and showed no remorse over the death.

When asked if Cdebaca checked Eustaquio to see if he was still alive, she answered, “I didn’t care. I would do it again.”

Before Cdebaca was taken to jail, her family members were able to say goodbye. However, her youngest granddaughter refused.

At the time of publication, the prosecution was continuing to present its case.