A 74-year-old girl who subleased a room in her Visalia home may need suffered a cruel death at the hands of a roommate who lived with her for only some months.
Family members (*20*) Rafaela Espindola stay in mourning following her Feb. 20 demise and stated they nonetheless try to know what would’ve precipitated her roommate Michael Main to allegedly kill the grandmother (*20*) 20 grandkids.
Main, 54, was charged with one rely (*20*) homicide with the particular allegations (*20*) use (*20*) a lethal weapon, sexual assault by pressure, assault with chemical substances, in addition to a hate crime, in response to the Tulare County District’s Lawyer’s Workplace.
“What’s actually unhappy is one (*20*) the final issues she’d informed us about her roommate was that (Main) appeared like a pleasant man, and he or she was making an attempt to assist get him again on his toes,” granddaughter Yenizel Rizzo stated. “She stated she’d cooked for him and informed us he loved her meals.
“My grandmother was a quiet individual and stored to herself. However she additionally was a loving girl and would attempt to take care (*20*) these round her. Then this occurred.”
Main faces extra prices from a separate assault when he allegedly attacked a restaurant employee with a 10-inch sledgehammer. He faces hate crime prices from that incident, too.
Blood discovered in hallway
Police stated that after apprehending Main and questioning him in regards to the brutal restaurant assault inside Nash’s Steakhouse in Visalia, he informed officers to test a home on the five hundred block (*20*) North Stevenson Avenue.
The situation is the place Main lived the previous two to 3 months with Espindola, together with a 3rd roommate who’s 80-plus years outdated, in response to the sufferer’s household.
Rizzo stated her household discovered loads (*20*) blood in the hallway that related her grandmother’s master suite to Main’s subleased room.
A felony criticism acknowledged that Espindola was overwhelmed to demise with a hammer.
Espindola, who’s initially from Mexico and lived in Visalia for roughly the previous 40 years, had sublet a room out (*20*) her home to varied individuals for a few years to assist her cowl hire on your entire home. And she or he not often, if ever, had points earlier than.
However by subleasing to Main, “she rented a room to a person who unknowingly to her, had psychological points, and was murdered by him,” in response to the family’s post on GoFundMe page that was set up to help pay for her funeral costs.
“My grandmother wasn’t the sort to run a background test,” Rizzo stated. “She actually didn’t take a look at individuals’s previous like that. She took individuals for who they have been on the time and principally simply stored to herself.”
Hate speech written on papers
Regardless of having roommates and a small home, Rizzo nonetheless hosted household from out (*20*) city for a lot of holidays.
“If she had us come over, she’d be certain that to go to the market and he or she’d prepare dinner contemporary goat for us,” Rizzo recalled. “She additionally lived subsequent to an orange orchard and gave us oranges on a regular basis.
“Only a very caring individual.”
Whereas household wasn’t positive precisely how Espindola obtained related with Main, Rizzo stated her grandmother often discovered roommates through the years based mostly on suggestions from these she knew.
Regarding the third roommate’s whereabouts throughout Espindola’s demise, Rizzo stated the household was informed by police that the aged man was not at home on the time (*20*) the incident.
Rizzo stated it was later found that Main had notes and journals inside his room.
Some had bible scripture written or referenced God, together with a be aware that was hanging from a ceiling fan in Main’s room that learn “Solely God can decide me,” in response to Rizzo.
Rizzo stated there additionally was hate speech written on some papers.
Maybe what made Espindola’s demise all of the extra upsetting was the truth that she had simply battled breast most cancers and was recovering from chemotherapy therapy, in response to household.
“She was simply making an attempt to get again to her regular life,” Rizzo stated. “That alone was actually scary for our household. What we’re coping with now, it’s simply so surreal.
“You’re unhappy. You’re scared. You’re upset.”
If convicted on all prices, Main faces life in jail.
