A 49-year-old woman described as a caring and compassionate grandmother was stabbed to death inside her Gustine home on Wednesday, leaving her friends and neighbors stunned.
Gustine police say the victim, Linda Guzman, was killed by her 52-year-old brother-in-law, Alfonso Terraza Guzman. The suspect is in police custody and will be booked on murder charges, according to Gustine Police Chief Richard Calderon.
The crime was reported at 10:08 a.m. at 359 Sycamore Ave. Police and paramedics arrived at the scene after the victim had walked to a neighbor's house and collapsed on the lawn from multiple stab wounds to her upper torso, Calderon said. Police believe an argument had erupted between the Linda Guzman and her brother-in-law, in the living room of the home.
Calderon said the victim's 6-year-old granddaughter was present in the house, and witnessed Alfonso Terraza Guzman commit the stabbing. After she was stabbed, the victim and her granddaughter walked across the street to a neighbors house.
Although the neighbor was able to call 911, paramedics were unable to save Linda Guzman. She died at the scene, Calderon said. Police searched the home for additional victims, and arrested Alfonso Terraza Guzman at the scene.
The 6-year-old girl was not physically hurt. Calderon said it's unknown what the victim and the suspect were arguing about, and Alfonso Terraza Guzman refused to talk with police.
The victim lived in the home with her husband, Andy Guzman Sr. and her brother-in-law, Calderon said.
Calderon said police took several knives inside the home into evidence, to determine which knife may have been used to stab the victim.
Friends of Linda Guzman expressed shock and outrage after hearing about the death -- although no one knew what kind of factors led up to the killing.
Marie Rosemire, a longtime friend of the Linda Guzman's, said the victim had lived in Gustine for more than 30 years. She worked as a clerk at Richard's Market, Gas and Liquors in Gustine, and was a popular Little League coach.
Rosemire said she's "very angry" that such "a fabulous person" was violently robbed of her life. "She coached half the kids in the town," said Rosemire, fighting back tears. "She was friendly and warm as can be."
Tiffany Vitorino, a 37-year-old Gustine resident who also knew Linda Guzman, said residents in the quaint neighborhood where she lived are shocked. "Its tragic. I just don't understand why," Vitorino said. "She was a very, very nice lady. She never did anything to hurt anybody."
The death is the seventh reported homicide in Merced County this year, and the second in Gustine since 2008.
Reporter Victor A. Patton can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or vpatton@mercedsun-star.com
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