Pair Convicted for Gruesome Murder of Man They Tortured, Injected with Fentanyl and Stuffed In Suitcase

News By TooFab Staff |
San Francisco Police Department

The torture, which was captured on video, lasted for hours -- before the victim was poisoned and "folded" into a suitcase while still alive, as the killers waited for him to die.

Two people have finally been convicted for the grisly 2019 slaying of man whose body was stuffed into a suitcase before being tossed into the San Francisco Bay.

Gerald Rowe, 52, and Angel Anderson, 41, were both accused of killing George Saldivar, whose body was discovered in February 2019 in the water near the famed Embarcadero.

On Tuesday, the San Fran DA announced Rowe was convicted of first-degree murder with an allegation that the murder was intentional and involved the infliction of torture, and the murder was intentional and by the administration of poison, and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Anderson pleaded guilty separately, and was convicted of first-degree murder by way of torture and poisoning. Anderson hoped to represent herself and even said she didn't want to "enter a plea of not guilty because I'm not" when she was first arrested; while she reportedly still entered a not guilty plea at the time, something changed in the four years since.

The details of the case are pretty gruesome -- and most of the crime was captured on video, which was found in Rowe's residential hotel room at the time of his arrest. According to court docs, the three of them engaged in consensual sex, before things took a horrific turn.

"Ms. Anderson confronted the victim with a machete before she and Mr. Rowe tied and bound him. A noose was placed around the victim's neck with the attached rope tethered through a pulley device near the ceiling," said the DA in a statement, citing testimony and evidence from Rowe's trial.

"The victim's hands were bound behind his back with zip ties, a strap, and duct tape. The victim was tortured for more than 4 hours in this position as he was screamed at, hit, punched, sodomized, assaulted with plyers, and a bag placed over his head," the statement continued.

According to the DA, Rowe then left the apartment and came back with some fentanyl, which he and Anderson mixed with water and injected into the victim. Saldivar then "began to convulse and struggle to breathe," but did not immediately die. The two killers then "folded the victim into a large rolling suitcase," said the statement, "before zipping it up and waiting for him to die."

Around 20 hours later, the two "donned disguises" and took the suitcase, body inside, to a nearby park and "tossed the victim's body into the water." He was discovered two weeks later.

Two days after his body was found, Anderson was detained in Sacramento and confessed to the murder. Rowe was arrested soon after.

"I am eternally grateful to the jury for their service along with their careful and considerate approach to what are some of the most egregious charges and horrific facts anyone should ever have to hear, let alone experience," Assistant District Attorney Charly Weissenbach said in a statement. "While this conviction cannot undo the hours of torture and painful poisoning experienced by the victim, it does condemn the depravity of the defendant's acts along with the inhumane way he handled the victim's remains when he threw him into the Bay like garbage."

"We feel an overwhelming sense of relief for the victim's family who have waited far too long to receive justice in this case. Mr. Rowe and Ms. Anderson's actions were heinous and a beloved son's life was lost far too early," added District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "We thank the jury for their time and attention to this very serious case. My office will always stand by victims and do everything in our power to ensure justice is served in each and every case."

Both are still in custody pending sentencing in March. Rowe faces life in prison without parole, while Anderson will be sentenced to 25-years-to-life.