Man admits to California cold case killing, brother of victim speaks out
The man accused of brutally raping and murdering a California teenaged girl back in 1990 has pleaded guilty to the heinous crime.
Christy Pina was only 14-years-old when her naked, disfigured body was found in an artichoke field in California. The man who admitted to brutally murdering her is 57-year-old Arsenio Pacheco Leyva an undocumented immigrant who fled to Mexico shortly after the murder and was extradited back to the United States nearly 30 years later.
Christy’s brother Robert Pina said he has mixed emotions about the confession, “It’s a relief but at the same time it just makes it real.”
A detective working on this now former cold case called him saying the man they have suspected for years admitted to the crime. Overcome with relief that justice prevailed, he feels that his sister’s soul can finally be at ease. “I was just happy she finally gets to rest now she finally has justice she finally, I don’t know how else to put this, she gets to rest now,” Robert says.
When Christy’s body was found, she was stabbed 23 times, strangled, and raped. The county coroner’s office says she was tortured. Robert was only 3-years-old when his sister was found dead, but says it changed his life forever. “It fractured the family it hurt everybody, everybody was in so much pain that nobody could really be there for one and other,” Robert says.
Robert says he and his family can finally heal from this unthinkable tragedy. However, he can never forgive the man who took Christy away from them three decades ago. “I don’t forgive him and I never will realistically,” Robert says, “Frankly speaking I will never hate anyone with the intensity that I’ve hated that man throughout my 32 years of life.”
Robert says he plans on being in California for Levya’s sentencing which is set for November. He is asking for the public’s help in getting there. To find out how you can help click here.
KRDO
