A 64-year-old Pasadena man, Valentino Gutierrez, allegedly murdered and dismembered his wife in an abandoned restaurant. Then, he is accused of traveling to a Home Depot parking lot with her remains in his suitcase and setting it on fire.
Videos by Suggest
According to a Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office release, the incident occurred on February 1, 2018. Firefighters responded to a blaze at a Home Depot parking lot on Figueroa Street. After putting out the fire, the firefighters were shocked to find human remains.
By using surveillance video footage, investigators identified a suspect and then arrested Guitierrez. It is alleged by authorities that Gutierrez carried out the gruesome murder in late January at an abandoned Pasadena restaurant, which had been closed for months.
Gruesome Murder
As reported by Law & Crime, citing the prosecutors, Guitierrez allegedly strangled his wife, Tiana Alfred, 31, to death and then dismembered her body. He is accused of traveling on a Gold Line Metro train with a suitcase containing his wife’s remains. Then, he allegedly drove a bicycle to the Home Depot parking lot, setting the remains on fire.
At the time, Valentino Gutierrez was charged with murder and arson of property. Allegedly, he used an accelerant to set his wife’s remains ablaze.
Prosecutors added that Gutierrez and Alfred were allegedly homeless at the time. They had been living at a shelter for months before Alfred’s death. Additionally, Guitierrez has been previously arrested and convicted of numerous crimes, including but not limited to robbery and domestic violence.
“To dismember an individual like that is pretty grotesque,” Los Angeles Police Department Captain Billy Hayes said at the time, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It takes an awful lot of effort and determination by an individual, which is pretty cold.”
On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Gutierrez’s lawyers argued regarding their client’s mental competency. As a result, a mental-competency hearing was scheduled for July 31.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org​ or by texting “START” to 88788.