Topline: Prosecutors say the victim’s final voicemail captured her own murder in chilling detail.
Published: May 1, 2025 7:00 am ET
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Craig Charron, left, (Huntington Beach Police Department) and Laura Sardinha (via Dignity Memorial).
SANTA ANA, CA — After less than a day of jury deliberations, Craig J. Charron, 39, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder in the 2020 killing of Laura Sardinha.
According to the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors outlined that Sardinha, 25, changed the locks to her Huntington Beach apartment on September 2, 2020, and thought she had finally broken free from an abusive relationship with Charron.
She was on the phone with her mother and best friend, sounding relieved that her abusive relationship was over.
Later that afternoon, Charron appeared inside her apartment. The call was ended as the friend dialed 9-1-1. She then left a haunting 37-second voicemail during the attack.
“If you listen to it carefully, you hear a woman narrating her own murder,” Orange County Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera told jurors during closing arguments this week, the LA Times reported during their coverage of the trial.
Sardinha met Charron—an Air Force veteran and former combat medic—just months before. A motorcycle crash in 2019 had left her unable to work as a bartender’s assistant. She received a $750,000 settlement and gave Charron nearly $100,000.
“Thank you for showing me that you are all mine,” he texted after receiving a large portion.
But the relationship turned violent. Sardinha had recently taken out a restraining order and demanded he move out. She stopped answering his calls, prosecutors said. In the weeks before her death, she accused him of rupturing her eardrum and repeatedly hitting her.
The morning she was killed, Sardinha recorded herself pleading with Charron to leave her alone after he allegedly woke her demanding sex.
“You terrify me, because you don’t leave,” she told him. Hours later, she had her locks changed. A maintenance worker helped, while the apartment manager kept her hidden from Charron, who was seen approaching.
At 1:15 p.m., while on a call with her mother and friend, Sardinha suddenly screamed, “Oh my God, he’s here.” She then left a voicemail pleading, “He’s gonna kill me!” and “Get away from me!”
Police arrived to find Sardinha dead from multiple stab wounds, and Charron injured.
Madera said the wounds to his neck and chest were self-inflicted in an attempt to claim self-defense. “It doesn’t matter if he self-inflicted wounds or if she defended herself,” she argued. “He was the aggressor 100% of the time.”
Madera described the attack in graphic detail—Sardinha was stabbed in the chest and head, and her nose was nearly severed. “She can’t cut lemons and limes reliably with a knife, let alone defend her life,” the prosecutor said. At 6 feet tall and 220 pounds, Charron was significantly larger than Sardinha.
During the trial, three former girlfriends testified that they too had filed restraining orders against Charron. One said he choked her and struck her with a wine bottle. Another said he poured vodka on her head. “He has a problem with control,” Madera said. “He doesn’t care for women who want to exercise free will.”
Charron testified in his defense, claiming the events were “hazy” and that Sardinha had come at him with a knife. “I didn’t quite comprehend what was happening in the moment,” he told the court.
His attorney, Michael Guisti, acknowledged Charron’s history of violence but called it “non-murderous.” He argued the killing may have occurred in the heat of passion and emphasized the severity of Charron’s wounds. “They need you to believe he faked his wounds,” Guisti said.
But jurors believed otherwise.
Madera concluded by pointing to Sardinha’s final voicemail. “You don’t hear the defendant on it, and his silence is absolutely deafening,” she said. “He’s enjoying taking his time killing her.”
Charron will be sentenced on July 25. He faces life in prison.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Published: May 1, 2025 7:00 am ET
Craig Charron, left, (Huntington Beach Police Department) and Laura Sardinha (via Dignity Memorial).
SANTA ANA, CA — After less than a day of jury deliberations, Craig J. Charron, 39, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder in the 2020 killing of Laura Sardinha.
According to the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors outlined that Sardinha, 25, changed the locks to her Huntington Beach apartment on September 2, 2020, and thought she had finally broken free from an abusive relationship with Charron.
She was on the phone with her mother and best friend, sounding relieved that her abusive relationship was over.
Later that afternoon, Charron appeared inside her apartment. The call was ended as the friend dialed 9-1-1. She then left a haunting 37-second voicemail during the attack.
“If you listen to it carefully, you hear a woman narrating her own murder,” Orange County Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera told jurors during closing arguments this week, the LA Times reported during their coverage of the trial.
Sardinha met Charron—an Air Force veteran and former combat medic—just months before. A motorcycle crash in 2019 had left her unable to work as a bartender’s assistant. She received a $750,000 settlement and gave Charron nearly $100,000.
“Thank you for showing me that you are all mine,” he texted after receiving a large portion.
But the relationship turned violent. Sardinha had recently taken out a restraining order and demanded he move out. She stopped answering his calls, prosecutors said. In the weeks before her death, she accused him of rupturing her eardrum and repeatedly hitting her.
The morning she was killed, Sardinha recorded herself pleading with Charron to leave her alone after he allegedly woke her demanding sex.
“You terrify me, because you don’t leave,” she told him. Hours later, she had her locks changed. A maintenance worker helped, while the apartment manager kept her hidden from Charron, who was seen approaching.
At 1:15 p.m., while on a call with her mother and friend, Sardinha suddenly screamed, “Oh my God, he’s here.” She then left a voicemail pleading, “He’s gonna kill me!” and “Get away from me!”
Police arrived to find Sardinha dead from multiple stab wounds, and Charron injured.
Madera said the wounds to his neck and chest were self-inflicted in an attempt to claim self-defense. “It doesn’t matter if he self-inflicted wounds or if she defended herself,” she argued. “He was the aggressor 100% of the time.”
Madera described the attack in graphic detail—Sardinha was stabbed in the chest and head, and her nose was nearly severed. “She can’t cut lemons and limes reliably with a knife, let alone defend her life,” the prosecutor said. At 6 feet tall and 220 pounds, Charron was significantly larger than Sardinha.
During the trial, three former girlfriends testified that they too had filed restraining orders against Charron. One said he choked her and struck her with a wine bottle. Another said he poured vodka on her head. “He has a problem with control,” Madera said. “He doesn’t care for women who want to exercise free will.”
Charron testified in his defense, claiming the events were “hazy” and that Sardinha had come at him with a knife. “I didn’t quite comprehend what was happening in the moment,” he told the court.
His attorney, Michael Guisti, acknowledged Charron’s history of violence but called it “non-murderous.” He argued the killing may have occurred in the heat of passion and emphasized the severity of Charron’s wounds. “They need you to believe he faked his wounds,” Guisti said.
But jurors believed otherwise.
Madera concluded by pointing to Sardinha’s final voicemail. “You don’t hear the defendant on it, and his silence is absolutely deafening,” she said. “He’s enjoying taking his time killing her.”
Charron will be sentenced on July 25. He faces life in prison.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Woman’s Final Plea Captured on Voicemail During Fatal Attack by Ex-Boyfriend
Prosecutors say the victim’s final voicemail captured her own murder in chilling detail.
By Jacob Charles
Published: May 1, 2025 7:00 am ET
Craig Charron, left, (Huntington Beach Police Department) and Laura Sardinha (via Dignity Memorial).
SANTA ANA, CA — After less than a day of jury deliberations, Craig J. Charron, 39, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder in the 2020 killing of Laura Sardinha.
According to the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors outlined that Sardinha, 25, changed the locks to her Huntington Beach apartment on September 2, 2020, and thought she had finally broken free from an abusive relationship with Charron.
She was on the phone with her mother and best friend, sounding relieved that her abusive relationship was over.
Later that afternoon, Charron appeared inside her apartment. The call was ended as the friend dialed 9-1-1. She then left a haunting 37-second voicemail during the attack.
“If you listen to it carefully, you hear a woman narrating her own murder,” Orange County Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera told jurors during closing arguments this week, the LA Times reported during their coverage of the trial.
Sardinha met Charron—an Air Force veteran and former combat medic—just months before. A motorcycle crash in 2019 had left her unable to work as a bartender’s assistant. She received a $750,000 settlement and gave Charron nearly $100,000.
“Thank you for showing me that you are all mine,” he texted after receiving a large portion.
But the relationship turned violent. Sardinha had recently taken out a restraining order and demanded he move out. She stopped answering his calls, prosecutors said. In the weeks before her death, she accused him of rupturing her eardrum and repeatedly hitting her.
The morning she was killed, Sardinha recorded herself pleading with Charron to leave her alone after he allegedly woke her demanding sex.
“You terrify me, because you don’t leave,” she told him. Hours later, she had her locks changed. A maintenance worker helped, while the apartment manager kept her hidden from Charron, who was seen approaching.
At 1:15 p.m., while on a call with her mother and friend, Sardinha suddenly screamed, “Oh my God, he’s here.” She then left a voicemail pleading, “He’s gonna kill me!” and “Get away from me!”
Police arrived to find Sardinha dead from multiple stab wounds, and Charron injured.
Madera said the wounds to his neck and chest were self-inflicted in an attempt to claim self-defense. “It doesn’t matter if he self-inflicted wounds or if she defended herself,” she argued. “He was the aggressor 100% of the time.”
Madera described the attack in graphic detail—Sardinha was stabbed in the chest and head, and her nose was nearly severed. “She can’t cut lemons and limes reliably with a knife, let alone defend her life,” the prosecutor said. At 6 feet tall and 220 pounds, Charron was significantly larger than Sardinha.
During the trial, three former girlfriends testified that they too had filed restraining orders against Charron. One said he choked her and struck her with a wine bottle. Another said he poured vodka on her head. “He has a problem with control,” Madera said. “He doesn’t care for women who want to exercise free will.”
Charron testified in his defense, claiming the events were “hazy” and that Sardinha had come at him with a knife. “I didn’t quite comprehend what was happening in the moment,” he told the court.
His attorney, Michael Guisti, acknowledged Charron’s history of violence but called it “non-murderous.” He argued the killing may have occurred in the heat of passion and emphasized the severity of Charron’s wounds. “They need you to believe he faked his wounds,” Guisti said.
But jurors believed otherwise.
Madera concluded by pointing to Sardinha’s final voicemail. “You don’t hear the defendant on it, and his silence is absolutely deafening,” she said. “He’s enjoying taking his time killing her.”
Charron will be sentenced on July 25. He faces life in prison.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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