A Lancaster man extradited from Peru has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his wife, whose body was found in the Angeles National Forest after she was reported missing in August. Jossimar Cabrera Cornejo, 37, was returned to the United States last December and remains in custody on roughly $2 million bail. He is scheduled to return to an Antelope Valley courtroom on July 9 for a hearing that could determine the next steps in the case.
According to MyNewsLA, Cabrera Cornejo is charged with murdering his 33-year-old wife, Sheylla Cabrera, on Aug. 10 at the Lancaster apartment the couple shared. The outlet reports that he entered his not-guilty plea on Wednesday and that a judge confirmed the July 9 date for further proceedings.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed the murder complaint in case number 25AVCF01441 and says it includes a special allegation that a knife was used. In a statement, The DA’s office said the charge carries a potential sentence of 26 years to life in prison and that the Family Violence Division is prosecuting the case.
How investigators say the killing unfolded
Deputies took a missing-persons report for Sheylla Cabrera on Aug. 12, after she was reported missing. Detectives later reviewed surveillance footage from the apartment complex in the 500 block of Lancaster Boulevard that investigators say appears to show a man believed to be her husband dragging a large object away from the building.
The Montrose Mountain Search and Rescue Team later reported finding an object similar to the material seen in the surveillance footage over the side of an embankment in the Angeles National Forest. Investigators say the material contained the woman’s body and that the county medical examiner determined the death was a homicide caused by multiple stab wounds, according to local coverage from KNX.
Children located in Peru; community response
Authorities say the couple’s three young sons were found safe in Peru and taken into protective custody before being repatriated to relatives, AP reported.
Friends and neighbors in Lancaster organized a march to honor Sheylla Cabrera and call for accountability, a community response covered by FOX 11 Los Angeles.
What happened in court
At Wednesday’s hearing, Cabrera Cornejo entered a plea of not guilty and remained held in lieu of bail set at just over $2 million, according to local reporting. MyNewsLA notes that the judge set the next court appearance for July 9, when a preliminary-hearing date could be scheduled.
Prosecutors' statement
“After deliberately fleeing the country, the defendant has been returned to Los Angeles County to face the full weight of the law,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said when the office announced Cabrera Cornejo’s extradition in December. The DA’s office said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate.
The charges remain allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Investigators and prosecutors say they will keep working the case as the Antelope Valley court calendar moves toward the July hearing.
