Pacifica man accused of Facebook livestreaming homicide back in court

(KRON) — Mark Stephen Mechikoff, the Pacifica man who allegedly Facebook livestreamed himself stabbing a woman to death inside her San Mateo home, has been held in a state mental hospital for more than a year.

According to investigators, the 41-year-old man stabbed Claribel Estrella on July 26, 2023 while he livestreamed the killing.

“Merchikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life,” the San Mateo Police Department wrote.

A Facebook user who watched the gruesome live video alerted law enforcement authorities. SMPD officers found Estrella’s body inside her apartment and arrested her suspected killer in San Jose.

Last year, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled that Mechikoff was incompetent to stand trial for murder and suspended the criminal case. He has received several months of mental health treatment at a California Department of State Hospitals facility and is being held under a conservatorship.

Conservatorships are utilized by courts for some mentally ill adults who are accused of serious crimes.

Mechikoff was back in court this week because an official with the county conservator office filed her conclusion that Mechikoff is now competent to stand trial. He is being held in custody without bail as his case moves toward a possible trial.

He will return to court on October 9, when his defense attorney will either agree to, or contest, his client’s certification of competency, according to the District Attorney’s Office.