Crime & Safety

Husband of West Covina Woman Found Dead Arrested

The body of West Covina resident Charita Tolentino was found in her car in the parking lot of the Hawaiian Gardens Casino Sunday morning.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's homicide investigators today arrested Tomas Infante, 60, on suspicion of murdering his wife.

The family of the 57-year-old victim, Charita Tolentino, reported her missing Saturday after she failed to return home from a nursing shift Friday, according to authorities.

On Sunday at 9:30 a.m., her body was discovered in her car parked in Hawaiian Gardens in the 11800 block of Carson Street, Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said.

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Today investigators served a search warrant at the home of the suspect and the victim.  During the search, authorities found evidence that implicated the suspect in the victim's murder, according to a news release. Infante was arrested around 1 a.m.

The victim appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma, City News Service reported. An autopsy is planned to determine her cause of death.

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The evidence suggests that the suspect allegedly killed the victim at the home and tranported her body in her car.  He reportedly parked and abandoned the car in the parking lot of the Hawaiian Gardens Casino.

The suspect and victim lived at their home and have a 17-year-old daughter who also lives there.  Infante is being held on $1 million bail.


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