Santa Rosa woman stabbed dozens of times before dying

A forensic pathologist testified Monday that most of the 68 stab wounds found on Patricia Barrales’ body were inflicted before she died and just two of them appeared to be lethal.

The comments from Dr. Kelly Arthur-Kenny came in the continuing murder trial of Honorio Pantaleon, 31, accused of killing Barrales, 25, in their Santa Rosa apartment on Mother’s Day in 2008 and stuffing her body in their children’s toy box.

Prosecutors allege Pantaleon wanted to make his girlfriend suffer because he resented her higher-paying job and knew she was planning to leave him and take with her their two children, ages 2 and 4 at the time.

Testimony from Arthur-Kenny, who performed the autopsy, could support special torture allegations that along with a first-degree murder conviction could send Pantaleon to prison for life.

Although she could not spell out the exact timing of the wounds, she said a number of cuts to the face, neck, back, chest and stomach appeared to come before death. Two deep punctures in a breast were likely fatal while stab wounds in both eyes and a slashed throat came after death, she said.

Other wounds, which included curved or S-shaped incisions, could have been made with one of three knives Pantaleon allegedly used — a serrated kitchen knife with a forked tip, Arthur-Kenny said. She said the shallow cuts likely would have been excruciating, comparing them to paper cuts.

“I think there is an element of pain involved here,” Arthur-Kenny said.

Pantaleon has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity in a rare dual plea.

In opening statements last week his lawyer, Jeff Mitchell, admitted Pantaleon killed Barrales but said it wasn’t premeditated. He said Pantaleon was influenced by drug use and suffering from increasing mental instability that made him believe Barrales’ family was out to get him.

His bizarre behavior included claims of hearing voices and the belief that Barrales’ mother put snakes in his stomach, Mitchell said.

In court, Pantaleon turned his head to look at autopsy pictures projected on a screen but mostly stared straight ahead, his eyes sometimes blinking rapidly.

Judge Ken Gnoss ordered some pictures cropped or blacked out to prevent the more graphic wounds from being shown to jurors.

Testimony is expected to continue this afternoon. The trial could run through mid-December with a break for Thanksgiving week.

Police said that on May 10, 2008, Pantaleon attacked Barrales inside their Rincon Valley apartment while their children were present.

After the killing, Pantaleon dropped off the children with their birth certificates and family dog at his mother’s house in Kelseyville, investigators said.

Then, on May 12, he is accused of trying to shoot Barrales’ mother in Mendocino County, but the gun didn’t fire. He was arrested the same day in Ukiah.

Pantaleon faces additional charges of attempted murder and burglary.

]You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or by email at paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.