Toronto police have arrested a suspect in the murder of Rhoderie Estrada, a mother of three who was found dead in her East York home last week.
Police were called to Estrada’s home on Torrens Avenue, in the Pape Avenue and O’Connor Drive area at around 2:15 a.m. on May 26.
When officers arrived, one of the occupants of the home guided them to an upstairs bedroom where Estrada was found without vital signs and with obvious signs of trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Estrada, a nurse at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, has been described by those who knew her as a “lovely” mother of three who worked hard for her kids.
Police previously said they believe someone entered the home through a side window between 10:30 p.m. and 2:15 a.m. and murdered Estrada.
At a news conference Sunday, Det-Sgt. Mike Carbone said police have arrested a suspect.
Carbone said the arrest was made on the strength of witness interviews, surveillance footage and a “systematic and meticulous examination” of the home by the Toronto Police Forensic Identification Unit.
While Carbone said police have an idea of what the motive might be, he wouldn’t say what police believe it was or whether the murder was random. However he did say that Estrada and the suspect didn’t know each other.
“I can say there was no relationship between the two of them,” he said.
A cause of death has been determined through an autopsy, but Carbone said police are not yet disclosing how Estrada died.
Yostin Murillo, 22, of no fixed address, has been arrested and faces one count of first-degree murder.
He is set to make a court appearance on June 4.
Carbone said he is looking to get in touch with anyone who has had contact with the suspect.
“I am appealing to anyone who has had any contact with Mr. Murillo before or after the homicide,” he said.
He urged anyone with information to contact the homicide squad.
