Man Accused of Killing Wife, Transporting Body on Metro Faces Pretrial Hearing

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for a 56-year-old man charged with murdering his wife, dismembering her body at an abandoned Pasadena restaurant and transporting the remains on public transit before burning them in a Highland Park Home Depot parking lot more than seven years ago.

Valentino Gutierrez faces charges of murder, arson and using an accelerant in the death of Tiana Alfred, 31, who authorities say was killed on or around Jan. 31, 2018.

The hearing is set for today in Department F at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St.

Police allege Gutierrez killed Alfred at an abandoned restaurant at Arroyo Parkway and California Boulevard in Pasadena. After the murder, he allegedly dismembered her body, placed the remains in a suitcase and boarded a Metro Gold Line train.

Authorities say Gutierrez then traveled to Los Angeles, where some of Alfred’s remains were allegedly set on fire in the parking lot of a Home Depot store. Body parts were also found in Cypress, according to previous media reports.

Gutierrez was arrested Feb. 2, 2018, as he left a South Raymond Avenue homeless shelter in Pasadena, where both he and Alfred had been living at the time of the murder.

A police bloodhound reportedly tracked Gutierrez’s movements from the Fillmore Station through the neighborhood during the investigation.

Gutierrez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Feb. 15, 2018. Previous pretrial hearings in the case were reported in February and April 2025. As of May 27, 2025, there is no publicly available information confirming a jury verdict in the case.

Court records show Gutierrez has a significant criminal history, including convictions for burglary, sexual battery, domestic violence, robbery and possession.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the crime.