Joseph Gerdvil, San Juan Capistrano, California man decapitates, mutilates elderly parents and family dog at mobile home in domestic violent incident. Son who struggled with drug addiction was living with parents.
A 41 year old California man has been accused of ‘mutilating and decapitating’ his parents and their dog at a mobile home park in San Juan Capistrano.
Joseph Brandon Gerdvil is alleged to have killed his mother, Antoinette Gerdvil, 79, and his father, Ronald Walter Gerdvil, 77, Tuesday morning, with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department stating the son was found covered in blood nearby after police responded to calls of a domestic violence at the mobile home just after 7.30am.
Responding investigators described coming across a ‘horrific scene which included the decapitated and mutilated bodies’ of an elderly man and woman ‘as well as a decapitated dog belonging to the married couple.’
The son according to authorities lived with his elderly parents.
Deputies stated upon coming across the gruesome scene, they received reports of a ‘bloody male’ chasing down a maintenance worker in the same mobile home community.
Police claim Joseph stole the maintenance worker’s golf cart, before a deputy located him and shot him multiple times, KCAL reported.
The son was treated on the scene until the Orange County Fire Authority arrived and transported him to a local hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.
When he is medically cleared, the sheriff’s office says the 41-year-old will be booked on two counts of homicide – and will likely face additional charges and enhancements.
A motive for the decapitations remains unclear, with authorities not revealing what led to the deputy to shoot Joseph.
Leading up to the massacre, a neighbor stated seeing Joseph fighting with his father the day before.
He described to Fox 11 how the younger Gerdvil was ‘in his face’ and ‘looked angry’ while confronting his father on Monday.
Another neighbor, Bob Demario, also claimed Joseph ‘had a drug issue.’
‘That’s why he lived there and they kept him there,’ Demario claimed.
Others described the family as friendly and quiet.
‘The lady that lived there walked her dog all of the time in the neighborhood,’ Tammy Pavese said. ‘Everybody knew who he was.’
‘[They were a] very sweet couple,’ another neighbor lamented.
