A jury last Friday convicted 49-year-old Santa Maria drifter Gabriel Jose Zepeda of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of a Santa Barbara homeless woman who authorities described as “quiet, polite, and someone who kept to herself.”
The trial lasted five weeks with the jury deliberating for less than a day before returning its guilty verdict. Zepeda faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced on June 16.
Zepeda was out on bail and wearing an ankle monitor so he could visit his ailing grandmother when he strangled 51-year-old Theresa Ann Carina to death near Stearns Wharf. Immediately afterward he told fishermen that he had “just robbed a lady.” Early morning passersby found Carina in a parking lot with her feet and hands bound and reported their grim discovery to police.
Carina, afflicted with mental illness, regularly slept on the doorstep of Mountain Air Sports, a well-known business at the bottom of State Street. Court records reflect a downward spiral of divorce, unemployment, and evictions, followed by multiple petty offenses. Nevertheless, authorities said Carina was friendly and neat, taking pains to clean and vacate her sleeping spot every morning before the shop opened for business.
Zepeda’s own criminal history is far darker, with convictions for commercial burglary, spousal abuse, stalking, and angry and erratic behavior on State Street.
“This crime was senseless and tragic,” said District Attorney John T. Savrnoch. “A vulnerable woman lost her life to a calculated act of violence.” Savrnoch commended lead prosecutor Elizabeth Branch for her work on the case. “Her dedication to securing justice for Theresa Ann is a testament to what this office stands for — seeking truth and justice,” he said.
Zepeda will remain in custody without bail pending the sentencing hearing.
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