A Pacifica resident, previously accused of fatally stabbing a woman and sharing the gruesome footage on Facebook, made a startling assertion of innocence during his recent court appearance, according to prosecutors.
Last July, Mark Mechikoff, 39, was charged with the stabbing death of a woman, recording her final moments, and disseminating a graphic video of the incident on Facebook, as previously report. He attended a preliminary hearing in San Mateo last week.
During the court session, Mechikoff claimed that his confession in the recording was fabricated by artificial intelligence, revealed San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe.
Wagstaffe dismissed Mechikoff’s claim as likely unfounded, characterizing it as part of a series of unusual behaviors exhibited by the defendant in the case. Wagstaffe mentioned an incident in October where Mechikoff damaged light fixtures in his jail cell and complained about odors, despite the cell being cleaned multiple times.
According to information shared in a Facebook post from July 2023, Mechikoff was acquainted with Claribel Estrella, the woman he allegedly fatally stabbed. Following the discovery of the distressing recording on social media by an individual in Nevada, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office was alerted.
They were provided with the name and phone number associated with the account that posted the video. Despite Mechikoff’s departure from the area, law enforcement managed to apprehend him in San Jose.
Mechikoff was arrested on suspicion of homicide. In August, he entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder, as reported by KRON-TV at the time. Another preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 21, according to Wagstaffe. Court records indicate that Mechikoff remains incarcerated without bail at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City.
