Monterey County man suspected of killing his wife before calling 911, deputies say

By Brandon Downs

A Monterey County man is suspected of killing his wife before he called 911, saying she was bleeding and he didn’t know what happened, authorities said on Saturday.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday from a man who said his wife was bleeding and he didn’t know what happened. So deputies responded to the home along Carr Road, just outside the Gonzales city limits. 

Deputies said they found a 60-year-old woman, later identified as Carmen Vega Tapia of Gonzales, suffering from a severe laceration. She was rushed to a hospital and later died, deputies said. 

The caller was identified as 66-year-old Pablo Villasenor of Gonzales, the sheriff’s office said. He was detained by deputies for questioning, but deputies discovered he was bleeding from a gunshot wound. 

Villasenor was taken to a hospital for treatment and later released. 

Detectives obtained a search warrant and found a firearm and a knife that deputies said they believe were used in the incident. 

Villasenor was arrested and booked into jail for murder, authorities said.