Man Who Allegedly Posted Murder to Facebook Claims Confession Was AI-Generated

39-year-old Mark Mechikoff was arrested in July 2023 for the murder of Claribel Marie Estrella inside her San Mateo apartment. He's accused of murdering Estrella to death and posting a video of the crime on Facebook.

While appearing in a San Mateo County courtroom for a preliminary hearing last week, Mechikoff made a bizarre claim about his innocence.

"During the hearing, the defendant exclaimed to the court that he did kill the victim, but his confession was generated by AI (artificial intelligence)," prosecutors wrote, per San Francisco's CW affiliate, KRON 4.

However, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe spoke about Mechikoff's behavior in court while speaking to SFGate.

"Mr. Mechikoff has done a whole series of strange things in this case. This is just another one on that list," Wagstaffe said.

The district attorney also told the outlet that Mechikoff previously broke light fixtures in his jail cell and made claims about smells in his cell despite the fact that it had been thoroughly cleaned several times.

According to the San Mateo Police Department in July 2023, cops received a call from sheriffs in Nevada, after they got a report from someone who witnessed a "stabbing" on the social media platform and provided them with the name and phone number of the person who posted the footage.

Mechikoff was later identified as the suspect.

"There was a person bleeding out, [he was] standing over the person, repeating Bible verses and other types of incoherent nonsense," another person who allegedly saw the video, Ryan Lenahan, told KTVU.

Lenahan said he called Mechikoff "sick" in the comments and added "I hope you're in custody" when he saw the footage, before getting a phone call from the suspect two hours later. "He was just talking all sorts of babble, and he appeared to be in the same location as the crime took place," Lenahan added.

After that call, Lenahan said he called local police.

After sheriffs in Nevada pinged Mechikoff's phone, they traced it to a large apartment complex in San Mateo, CA, prompting them to reach out to the PD in the area. With no exact apartment number to go off of, this led to an "almost 3-hour" search of the complex, as San Mateo police officers went door to door in an attempt to locate the possible victim and suspect.

Per cops, "officers established a possible connection and located a decedent" in her apartment; the suspect had already left the scene. They knew Mechikoff's identity and were still able to track his phone, however, locating him within two hours and arresting him "without incident." According to cops, Mechikoff "had known" the victim and, per NBC Bay Area, police said he was in possession of the suspected murder weapon when apprehended.

"While the motive for stabbing the victim is still under investigation, we do know Mechikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim's life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area," police said in a press release.

Mechikoff was later charged with one count of murder and four enhancements, including use of a deadly weapon, inflicting great bodily injury, committing a serious felony, and committing a violent felony with a prior felony conviction, according to Law&Crime, per San Mateo County court records.

He pleaded not guilty in August 2023.

While speaking to KRON 4 at the time, Wagstaffe said of Mechkioff's alleged crime, "By putting it on Facebook … he felt a certain pride."

"That is the first time I've ever heard of anything like that. Certainly it's never occurred in San Mateo County," he added. "It's a horrific crime."

According to KRON 4, after Mechikoff's appearance in court last week, his hearing was reset for March 21.