After a Chula Vista man accused of killing his wife appeared in court for the first time, the victim’s family said they want justice but didn’t know about the hearing until they saw it on the news.
“She would brighten any room with her smile,” Sandi Norzagaray said of her sister Natalia Nuño. “Just by looking at her smile, you would think that she's not going through anything, that everything is perfect.”
Just after 1:30 a.m. on March 29, 2020, prosecutors say neighbors of Nuño and her husband Francisco Uriarte called 911 after hearing a woman scream.
Officers arrived at their Oxford Street apartment to find Nuño dead, her husband gone and their three young children alone, according to police. Prosecutors said the then-3-year-old and 9-year-old twins told police their parents had been in a fight when their dad killed their mom, then fled.
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“This was a particularly violent murder and a very tragic domestic violence murder,” Deputy District Attorney Erin Casey said following Uriarte’s arraignment Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Uriarte fled to Mexico, where he was taken into custody in May, then extradited to San Diego in September. Prosecutors said it took more than four years to bring him back to the U.S., in part because of court closures due to COVID-19, and because extradition proceedings can take time to coordinate between two governments.
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Uriarte appeared before a judge for the first time on Wednesday, pleading not guilty to charges of murder and child endangerment. The judge agreed with prosecutors on the need to hold Uriarte without bail and granted a protective order prohibiting him from having any contact with the three children.
“Not only was this a very violent crime, but then on top of that, he was a flight risk, having been in hiding for the last four-and-a-half years,” Casey said.
More than a dozen members of Uriarte’s family were in the courtroom for the arraignment. But Nuño’s family was not.
“It was just devastating when we have to hear that he had a court date, and we didn't know about it. I think it was just like a misunderstanding,” Norzagary said.
“It was frustrating, painful, especially when they mentioned that he had, like, a dozen people around him, you know? And my sister's family wasn't there,” she continued. “It was not because we did not want to be there. It was just we were not informed of it.”
When asked, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said her brother was notified of the hearing date and time. Norzagary contended he was told the hearing would happen during the week but was not given specifics. She said their family would have been in the courtroom, had they known.
“I want to make sure that she knows that no matter what, we are here for her,” Norzagary said.
Norzagary said the past four years have been difficult without her sister, grieving as they waited for justice.
“It's been hard. It's like living in a nightmare all the time,” she said. “I was losing hope.”
Nuño was a caring mother, her sister said. She had struggled to get pregnant, but once she did, her children became her world.
“That was just a really important part of her life. It was just like a miracle for her,” Norzagary said. “Her kids, they were everything. They meant everything to her.”
Prosecutors said Wednesday the children were safe.
“They've been safe and secure since the time of her murder, and so they have continued to move on with their lives in a safe location,” Casey said.
Attorneys and the judge scheduled a readiness conference in Uriarte's case for Dec. 5, followed by a preliminary hearing on Jan. 29, 2025.
