Murder charges filed against Carmel Valley woman

Murder charges were filed June 19 against a woman accused of killing her 73-year-old mother in the Carmel Valley home they shared.

Arraignment for 51-year-old Lara Epstein was postponed until Tuesday, June 23, because the defendant needs a Russian interpreter.

Epstein faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted of murder and the use of a deadly weapon.

Officers responding to a request for a welfare check on Svetlana Gurinova at a condominium complex in the 3700 block of Carmel View Road about 10:30 p.m. June 16 arrived to hear a woman talking and a dog barking inside one of the units.

Unable to get anyone to answer the door, the officers let themselves in and found Epstein standing in the living room, San Diego police Lt. Paul Rorrison said. Epstein led them to Gurinova’s body, which bore signs of “massive trauma,’’ including blunt-force and “laceration type’’ injuries, Rorrison said.

Though calm at the time of her arrest, Epstein at times made “rambling’’ comments to detectives, the lieutenant told reporters.