In December 2017, Manuel Vela, 28, was arrested in east Bakersfield, California after “socking and choking” his pregnant girlfriend to death, carving her unborn child out of her body, and “cutting it up” by the side of a road next to a homeless shelter. Vela had faced three previous domestic violence charges, including a previous conviction against his victim, Kristina Rivera, 30. This interview was conducted shortly after Vela’s arrest by two reporters from KBAK-TV in Bakersfield.
Vela had not been evaluated by a psychiatrist when this interview took place, but he is clearly incompetent to stand trial. At first he expresses concerned about possibly incriminating himself, but right away describes him crime in graphic detail. Vela is obviously schizophrenic. He is paranoid and delusional, calls himself “the Antichrist,” claims his “Father” told him to kill his girlfriend and her baby, describes hallucinations, hearing voices, receiving commands from outer space, and other bizarre tangents.
In January 2018, Vela was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead. The official cause of death was suicide by hanging.
