Antonio Padilla, 34, was convicted of second-degree murder in the killing and decapitation of 60-year-old homeless woman Gina Lockhart. The jury deliberated for over five hours before reaching a verdict. Lockhart's body, discovered buried in Padilla's family's Huntington Beach backyard, showed signs of severe mutilation, including being hog-tied. Prosecutors argued that Padilla killed her in a shed and later decapitated her, although a motive was not established. Eyewitness accounts highlighted Padilla’s alarming behavior before the body was found, including unusual digging in his backyard and misleading statements regarding blood-stained items.
"During the trial, Senior Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera told jurors that Padilla killed Lockhart in a shed the prosecutor said the defendant lived in behind his parents' mobile home."
"Padilla then used a machete to decapitate Lockhart and her own shoelaces to bind her hands and feet, the prosecutor said."
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