Argument over 'clogging' of lone toilet leads man to blind and kill aunt, 'carve' her like 'Play-Doh figures'

A 29-year-old antheral successful California whitethorn walk the remainder of his days down bars for slaughtering his aunt pursuing a quality implicit a azygous clogged toilet, telling constabulary the stabbing reminded him of erstwhile helium would carve Play-Doh arsenic a child.

Kern County Superior Court Judge Chad A. Louie ordered Christopher Kaulaity to service the maximum sentence of 25 years to beingness successful a authorities correctional installation for the gruesome December 2024 slaying of 45-year-old Maria Carmen Torrez, tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

The justice handed down the condemnation aft a assemblage past period recovered Kaulaity blameworthy of first-degree murder. The justice added 1 twelvemonth to the condemnation for a limb enhancement, meaning Kaulaity indispensable service astatine slightest 26 years earlier helium is eligible for parole.

During Wednesday's hearing, Kaulaity showed nary remorse, adjacent hurling profanities astatine the victim's surviving household members. As relatives entered the courtroom, the suspect reportedly stood up and shouted astatine Torrez's sister, "I anticipation you rot successful hellhole with your sister, b—," section NBC affiliate KGET reported.

"I hatred you guys," the sister reportedly responded, referring to Kaulaity and the household members who attended the proceeding to enactment him.

The fatal brushwood occurred astatine a multigenerational location connected Haley Street wherever Kaulaity and Torrez lived with 7 different big household members, according to a news release from the Kern County District Attorney's Office. Tensions successful the household reached unsafe levels the time earlier the murder, erstwhile a "family argument" erupted "over issues with the azygous toilet successful the residence clogging."

Multiple household members warned Kaulaity that helium needed to creaseless implicit his issues with his aunt oregon helium would beryllium forced to permission her home, Bakersfield CBS affiliate KBAK reported.

"On December 7, 2024, the unfortunate was connected her mode to the bath and portion passing Kaulaity successful the hallway, she insulted him," prosecutors wrote successful the release. "While the unfortunate was successful the bathroom, Kaulaity went to his chamber wherever helium retrieved capsicum spray and a knife. Kaulaity past kicked unfastened the bath door, capsicum sprayed his aunt 'to unsighted her,' and past stabbed her repeatedly successful her backmost and neck."

The suspect confessed to investigators that helium past "went to town" stabbing Torrez 7 times successful the cervix and backmost with a agelong operation blade.

Kaulaity said helium killed his aunt "butcher style," comparing himself to "Norman Bates," stating that the onslaught "reminded maine of erstwhile I was a kid again" due to the fact that helium utilized to "carve these Play-Doh figures and usage sticks to impale them."

After the attack, Kaulaity reportedly dialed 911 to study that helium had conscionable stabbed his aunt to death. Deputies arriving astatine the country discovered Torrez dormant from her injuries, and the suspect was instantly taken into custody.

At trial, the defence argued Kaulaity suffered from terrible intelligence wellness disorders that caused progressive hallucinations and triggered a impermanent blackout during the slaying. The assemblage yet rejected the insanity assertion aft a forensic scientist testified that the suspect afloat comprehended that his actions were wrong.

"Kaulaity's execution of his aunt was a tragic enactment against a pistillate who should person been harmless wrong her home," Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said pursuing his conviction, adding that her bureau remains committed to seeking justness against convulsive offenders who "attempt to excuse their behaviour done unwarranted claims of insanity."