SAN MATEO, Calif. — A man in San Mateo, California, allegedly stabbed a woman to death Wednesday before posting the video of it on Facebook, officials say.
In a news release, the San Mateo Police Department said on Wednesday just before 4 p.m., officers were contacted by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada about a person who called to report that she witnessed a “stabbing” on Facebook. The woman provided investigators with the name and phone number of the person who posted the video.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office “pinged” the phone number and it came back to a large apartment complex in the 200 block of 37th Avenue in San Mateo. Police say they deployed officers to the complex to try to identify the suspect. Officers conducted a canvas door-to-door of the apartment complex to find the victim as well as the suspect. After about three hours, officers were able to determine a possible connection.
Investigators learned that the suspect was not at the scene so they began to search for him, police said. Officers in the meantime found the victim and two hours later, the suspect was located in San Jose.
The suspect was later identified as Mark Mechikoff, 39, according to The Associated Press. Mechikoff was arrested about 30 miles south of where the victim was found deceased in an apartment.
The victim was identified as Claribel Estrella, according to the AP.
Mechikoff on Friday was charged with a count of murder with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury and the use of a knife by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, the AP reported.
“While the motive for stabbing the victim is still under investigation, we do know Mechikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area,” police said.
Mechikoff reportedly knew the victim, but according to the AP, the relationship is unclear.
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