NorCal Man Sentenced to LWOP for Brutal Murder of Estranged Wife

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that a 34-year-old Northern California man was sentenced for the January 2022 stabbing death of his estranged wife in Spring Valley.

Kandynn Wilson, who was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder and a lying in wait special circumstance in December, was sentenced to life without parole plus one year in prison for killing Ericka J. Wilson, 29, his wife of six years and mother of their child. [WATCH the emotional victim impact statements from her family at the sentencing hearing.]

“This Defendant murdered his estranged wife in cold blood displaying a vicious brutality in lying in wait and stabbing her multiple times,” DA Stephan said. “We must keep fighting to safeguard victims of domestic violence and hold their abusers accountable. I’m grateful for the service of the jury that rendered this just verdict and for the work of law enforcement and our prosecution team. I hope today’s sentencing brings a measure of justice to the heartbreaking loss of the victim’s family.”

In January 2022, Kandynn Wilson took a vacation day from work and drove from Oakland to the victim’s place of employment, waiting for her to get off work so he could ambush her in the parking lot. After realizing he was at the wrong location, he drove to her apartment complex and parked in her parking lot. He reclined his seat and waited for her to return from work. Close to midnight, as Ericka Wilson pulled into the parking area and began to get out of her vehicle, the defendant approached her wearing a ski mask. He grabbed her and carried out a brutal stabbing attack, inflicting 23 wounds to her neck. She died at the scene. A brave neighbor saw the attack, and chased the defendant with a bat, forcing him to flee on foot and leave behind his vehicle, gloves, and murder weapon.

He was located a few hours later covered in Ericka’s blood.

“Intimate partner violence continues to be one of the most common and dangerous forms of violence we confront, and this case is a stark reminder of its devastating impact,” DA Stephan said.

In 2024, seven people were killed by a current or former intimate partner and there was one additional homicide victim, such as a family member, new boyfriend, or bystander, who died during domestic violence related incidents. While this is an increase from five domestic violence-related homicides the prior year, these types of homicides continue to remain lower than the average from the prior two decades. Figures for 2025 won’t be available for several months.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Alexandra Lorens.