The adult son of two San Juan Capistrano residents mauled them and their dog Tuesday, according to Orange County investigators.
Investigators described finding “a horrific scene that included the decapitated and mutilated bodies” of a man and a woman “as well as a decapitated dog belonging to the couple.”
Joseph Brandon Gerdvil, 41, of San Juan Capistrano, was arrested on suspicion of killing his parents, Ronald Walter Gerdvil, 77, and Antoinette Gerdvil, 79, according to a post on X from the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Officers responded to a report at 7:36 a.m. of a domestic assault in the 32000 block of Alipaz Street, where they found the bodies, Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. Matt Parrish said Tuesday.
Investigators say Gerdvil, covered in blood, fled the home after the killings Tuesday morning, stole a golf cart and chased after a maintenance worker at the mobile home community. A community services officer spotted Gerdvil and led officers to him, the department said.
According to the department, an officer saw Gerdvil exit a bike path near Arroyo Street and shot him multiple times. Gerdvil was treated at the scene until the Orange County Fire Authority arrived, deputies said. He was taken to a hospital, where deputies said he was in critical but stable condition Tuesday afternoon.
The department said in a statement that no officers were injured in the incident, but gave no explanation as to what led the officer to shoot Gerdvil.
San Juan Capistrano officers have body cameras and video of the incident will be released “in accordance with law and in consultation with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office,” the department said. State law requires video of police-involved shootings to be released within 45 days in most cases.
