Man arrested in grisly decapitations of parents, their dog in California

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KTLA) - Gruesome details have emerged in a violent and bloody double homicide that included the death of a dog and the suspect being shot earlier this week at an Orange County, California, mobile home park.  

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department responded around 7:30 a.m. on July 9 after reports of a “domestic incident,” officials said. 

According to an OCSD news release, responding deputies discovered a “horrific scene” where two elderly victims, identified as Antoinette Gerdvil, 79, and her husband Ronald Gerdvil, 77, had been decapitated along with their dog.  

Minutes after deputies found the couple, they received reports of a “bloody man” chasing a maintenance worker from the same San Juan Mobile Estates community where the grisly killings occurred.

The bloodied man, identified as 41-year-old Joseph Gerdvil, had reportedly stolen the maintenance worker’s golf cart and was quickly found near a bike trail exit on Calle Arroyo where at least one deputy opened fire on Gerdvil striking him.  

“Sheriff’s personnel rendered aid to the suspect until the Orange County Fire Authority arrived and was able to transport him to a local hospital, where he is currently in stable condition,” the release noted.  

Authorities said Gerdvil, who lived in the community with his parents, is still in the hospital. He will be booked on two counts of homicide when he’s medically cleared. They added that Gerdvil will likely face additional charges.  

So far, investigators have not provided a motive for the slayings.