San Leandro man charged with beating and stabbing his girlfriend to death after she tried to end their relationship

SAN LEANDRO — A city resident is due in court next month to enter a plea on charges that he fatally beat and stabbed his girlfriend inside the apartment they shared with several others, according to court records.

Chataron Rose, 23, was charged Jan. 20 with murder in the death of 24-year-old Mya Watts. More than two months later, he has still not entered a plea, but is expected to at his next court appearance on April 13. Rose is being held in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on a no-bail hold, records show.

Authorities believe Watts was fatally stabbed sometime Jan. 14, but exactly when is not clear. But that evening, Rose allegedly began answering her phone and making excuses for why she wasn’t there, going so far as to tell one roommate not to be suspicious if they found Watts’ blood in the bathroom, police say.

Rose was arrested later that night, at his mother’s house in San Francisco. Police say he went there and “created a disturbance” while frantically confessing to the fatal stabbing. He was transported to the hospital after telling officers he had swallowed cleaning fluid, then transferred to jail after being medically cleared.

Watts’ body was discovered by her parents Jan. 15. Investigators identified a kitchen knife as the suspected murder weapon.

Friends of Watts later told police that she had planned to break up with Rose, according to authorities.