Cynthia Cdebaca

Cases that involve in-laws murdering each other interest me quite a bit. I have blogged about a few here but even in the realm of things this one is a bit different. I am not sure that I have read about too many cases in which this sort of murder occurs when the family is still “in tact” as the courts call it. Generally you see these cases when there is a divorce and/or custody battle going on, or at the very least the couple has separated. You have son-in-laws who are bitter over the split and want to take it out on the ex-wife and her family; you have the mother-in-laws who decide their child has been wronged. This was a case in which a mother-in-law decided her son-in-law was abusive towards her daughter and grandchildren and she planned to gun him down.

On the morning of February 11, 2014 Cynthia Cdebaca opened fire on her son-in-law, Geoward Eustaquio in their Fallbrook California home. Only Cynthia and Geoward were present at the home at the time and when it was all over only Cynthia could say what happened. Interestingly enough it was Cynthia's sixty-third birthday that day and I suspect that played more of a role in this case than most would take issue with.

Cynthia Cdebaca suffered a stroke in 2001 and over the next several years lived with her daughter, Laura Eustaquio and her family off and on in what they called the “Granny Flat.” In essence it was an apartment over the garage of the home. It was alleged that in November of 2013 Cynthia decided to stay at the home permanently when she saw bruises on her daughter's arm that she would claim, or at least believe had been placed there by Laura's husband, Geoward.

It seems that few people would argue that Geoward was strict with his children. He had two sons from a previous marriage and then he and Laura proceeded to have a son and a daughter. At the time of the murder the younger children were fifteen and twelve and one of Geoward's older sons was also living with the family. The first question becomes just how strict was he and did it rise to the level of abuse. And the second question would be how far that strict behavior extended.

On that February morning neighbors of the Eustaquio family would call police saying that they had heard several gunshots in the area of the home. When law enforcement arrived they found Geoward inside the home. It would later be determined that he had been shot at least twelve times. There was glass and debris just outside the door and it looked as if someone had chased him down. It is not clear whether he was already dead when law enforcement got to the home or whether he died soon after. Authorities got a hold of the family, all except Cynthia. Laura was not sure where her mother was but she gave investigators some ideas of places to look. They would finally find her around three that afternoon, nearly seven hours after the shooting, in a coffee shop. They took her in for an interview and soon learned what had occurred.

It is not clear just how soon Cynthia confessed but when she did it was theatrical. The interview was video taped and has been released through the media. When Cynthia was told that Geoward was dead she literally cheered. She would tell investigators that Geoward was abusive to his wife and children as well as her and that she had had enough. That morning she had gone downstairs as she was going to attend a Spelling Bee for her granddaughter. She claims that Geoward criticized the way she was dressed and used the word “ghetto” in his description. This would lead to the media calling her “Ghetto Grandma.”

After Geoward allegedly made this comment Cynthia went upstairs and retrieved a .38 caliber gun she owned. She opened fire on Geoward as he was outside. In attempts to avoid the gunfire he had retreated into the house. He had ample time to do so considering that Cynthia reloaded the weapon twice and at least once had to go to her vehicle to retrieve the ammunition. After shooting Geoward, Cynthia then went out for breakfast. From there she went to a local casino and gambled for approximately two hours and then went to a cafe for coffee. It was at the cafe that officers found her.

It was then that it seemed that allegations of Geoward's behavior and possible abuse were brought up. His two oldest children admit he was strict, but fair, and that he wanted what was best for his children. There were allegations that Geoward had broken his youngest son's electronics in a fit of anger, that he would spray people with a water hose if they “misbehaved.” It also said that Geoward had thrown away the ashes of Cynthia's deceased husband. But, I want to be fair here. Aside from these blanket allegations there was little else said about the circumstances around the incidences. What I mean by this is I think there should be more information known about these situations before judging Geoward. Did he accidentally discard the ashes? Was the spraying of the water hose a common event or a one time thing that occurred simply because he happened to be holding the hose at the time? As far as the electronics there was evidence that his son had been grounded for his grades. But, again in fairness, I should point out that by most standards the grades were not bad, but Geoward expected higher standards from his children. With that being said the son had disobeyed the grounding and Geoward had smashed his electronics.

The electronics issue reminds me of a situation my husband encountered as a child. His stepfather had bought him a car before he had a driver's license and they had restored it together. One night my husband and a friend would sneak out of the house and his friend, who did have a license, drove the car around. The following day he came home from school and the car was gone. Two days later he returned home and there was a square of metal in the driveway. For his part, my husband never forgave his stepfather for that action. Many years later his stepfather did apologize for that and agreed that he had made an extreme decision that he regretted. My point in this is two fold. First, while some could argue it was emotional abuse, and it damaged their relationship but it was one incident. Secondly, we all make decisions in the moment that we may not agree with later when we see it from another angle. I just felt that it was unfair to constantly bring up the incident to “prove” abuse in Geoward's case.

Cynthia would go on trial in February of 2017 on charges of first degree murder. Her daughter, Laura would testify for the defense and again these time of alleged abuse would come up. Even through all of that and all of the alleged incidences I never found anything that stated that Geoward was physically abusive. There was talk of bruises on Laura's arm in November of 2013 that prompted Cynthia to stay permanently but it was never stated, at least that I could find, that Geoward had purposely caused these or had done so in a fit of rage.

The prosecution told the jury that Cynthia had gone to a local shooting range some three weeks earlier, leading them to believe she had been planning the murder for at least that long. And, while they did not necessarily dispute the allegations of abuse they argued that it was never to the point of life threatening abuse. Not once had Cynthia alleged that at the time of the shooting she felt she was in danger, or even continuing to argue with Geoward.

Cynthia's interview with the police was shown to the jury. They not only saw that she cheered when she learned he had died, but had stated she had no remorse and would do it all over again if given the chance. I have to believe that her defense attorney's advised her how bad that would look to the jury and while she could not go back in time and change things, she could change her attitude.

After two days of deliberating it seems that the jury decided that even if Geoward was abusive, the planning and the execution of his murder was not warranted. They found her guilty of first degree murder. In March of 2017 she was given a sentence of fifty years to life. Given her advanced age, and her health it was surely a life sentence. But, then again pretty much any sentence for her would amount to life. Her first chance at parole is in the year 2039 at the age of eighty-eight.

I have to agree with the jury and with the prosecution on this one. There never seemed to be a shred of evidence that Geoward was abusive to the family in which their lives were in danger. There was never even statements, that I could find that the alleged bruises Cynthia stated she saw on Laura had anything to do with Geoward. There was evidence that Cynthia did not like the rules of the home, such as no smoking and other things. While no one seems to dispute that Geoward was a strict parent or maybe even a rigid person in general, it was his home and his rules. Cynthia apparently had choices and she chose to live in the home. In the end four children were left without a father.