Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, June 7, 2010
(06-07) 15:19 PDT CASTRO VALLEY -- A 35-year-old Castro Valley man has been arrested in the stabbing death of his former girlfriend, who had broken up with him two weeks before, authorities and the woman's relatives said Monday.
Taquan Lamont Maldonado was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after Alameda County sheriff's deputies found the body of his girlfriend, 26-year-old Katrina Spinardi, at her family's home on the 21000 block of Eden Canyon Road in Castro Valley about 3:10 p.m. Saturday. She had been stabbed in the chest.
Deputies had been called the home on previous occasions to investigate reports of domestic violence, sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.
Spinardi had broken up with Maldonado two weeks ago, said her grandmother, who didn't want her name used. "She wanted to get rid of him, and he was very persistent," she said. "The whole family is just devastated."
On his Facebook page, Maldonado described his relationship status as, "It's complicated."
Francesca Spinardi, 22, said her sister had "made a total 360 with her life" after experiencing some hardships. "And someone has taken it away," she said, crying. "He took my sister away, and I'm not going to get her back."
Spinardi had a 2-year-old son from a previous relationship, said a friend, Deana Perkins, 41, of San Leandro.
"She's a very sweet person, very easy to get along with," Perkins said. "Very loving, very kind-hearted, very accepting toward others."
Perkins said she was in shock over her friend's slaying. "She didn't deserve to go like that, being the type of person that she was. She's with God now. That's a better place than here."
Maldonado is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.
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