Huntington Beach, CA — A California man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend after she tried to break off their relationship, in a harrowing case that shook the Huntington Beach community and exposed a pattern of violent behavior. The conviction stems from a brutal 2020 killing, with the victim’s final moments captured in voicemails that prosecutors described as a real-time narration of her own death.
Craig J. Charron, 39, an Air Force veteran, was convicted last week in Orange County Superior Court for the murder of 25-year-old Laura Sardinha, who had obtained a restraining order against him just days before her death.
“Can you please leave? Please get away from me”
According to prosecutors, Sardinha had taken several steps to protect herself from Charron, including changing the locks on her Huntington Beach apartment and requesting that he move out. But Charron returned on the night of the murder, forcing his way in and stabbing her multiple times.
One of the last exchanges between Sardinha and Charron was captured on a voicemail in which she can be heard pleading, “Can you please leave? Please get away from me.” During the trial, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera told jurors, “If you listen to it carefully, you hear a woman narrating her own murder.”
In the same voicemail, Charron is heard saying, “All I want is to be with you,” to which Sardinha replies, “You terrify me because you don’t leave.”
A history of violence and escalating abuse
Hours earlier, Sardinha had gone to her building’s leasing office to request a lock change out of fear for her safety. Staff hid her inside the office when Charron appeared on the property and later escorted her back to her unit where a maintenance worker replaced the locks. That same day, while on a phone call with her mother and best friend, Sardinha said Charron had woken her up demanding oral sex—an advance she angrily rejected.
According to court testimony, Charron stabbed Sardinha twice in the chest, nearly severed her nose, and struck her in the head with such force that the pronged tomato knife bent. When officers arrived, they found Charron injured, bleeding from self-inflicted wounds to his neck and chest. He claimed he acted in self-defense after Sardinha allegedly attacked him.
Three of Charron’s former partners testified during the trial, each detailing past abuse and confirming they had obtained restraining orders against him. One woman said he choked her and struck her with a wine bottle; another said he slapped her and doused her with vodka; a third testified he pinned her against a wall and punched a man she was with.
Past abuse, financial control, and a fatal ending
Sardinha, who had worked as a bartender’s assistant, was injured in a 2019 accident that left her unable to perform routine tasks. She later received a $750,000 compensation settlement, of which she reportedly gave over $100,000 to Charron. In a message following that, Charron texted her, “Thank you for showing me that you are all mine.”
Two weeks before her death, court records show Sardinha texted Charron, saying she couldn’t hear out of one ear because he had hit her so hard that her eardrum was damaged. In another recording, she can be heard telling him, “You keep hitting me,” to which he replies, “Massage my calves or end this relationship.”
During his testimony, Charron described himself as a former combat medic receiving full disability benefits and psychiatric care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. He claimed to have little recollection of the attack.
Charron was found guilty of murder. Sentencing is scheduled for July 25, and he faces the possibility of life in prison.
