Mother Arrested in Shooting Deaths of 3 Sons

A 42-year-old Santa Rosa Valley mother was arrested in her hospital room Tuesday on suspicion of fatally shooting three of her young sons.

Socorro Caro, recovering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, was arrested at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks at 11:45 a.m. on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder, sheriff’s officials said.

She was then taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center, where she is being held without bail, a guard posted at her door. Sheriff’s spokesman Eric Nishimoto said physical evidence “points to her as the only shooter.” He declined to elaborate on that evidence.

Prosecutors said charges could be brought against Caro as early as today for the slayings of Joseph Caro, 11, Michael Caro, 8, and Christopher Caro, 5.

Xavier Caro, a doctor with his own practice near the Northridge Hospital Medical Center, told authorities he arrived home from work about 11:20 p.m. Nov. 22 to find his three children in their rooms, dead of bullet wounds to their heads. His wife of 13 years lay bleeding but conscious in the couple’s master bedroom with a gunshot would to her head. A .38-caliber revolver lay nearby.

The couple’s fourth child, a 13-month-old boy, was unharmed.

A funeral Mass for the children will be held today at 10 a.m. at Padre Serra Church, 5205 Upland Road in Camarillo, followed by burial at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo.