Grisly details emerge in trans son’s alleged murder of mother in Laguna Beach

A trans man accused of killing his mother inside a Laguna Beach home bludgeoned her to death with a hammer — with the alleged murderer’s grandmother discovering the bloody aftermath, authorities said.

Police responded to the rental home of Safford James Wolfson, 36, around 11 a.m. on July 20 after Wolfson’s grandma entered the residence and found blood-spattered floors and smashed furniture, prosecutors revealed.

Investigators said Wolfson’s grandmother first found Wolfson lying on the floor covered in blood before discovering the body of Angela Caprioli, 61, in a bedroom with severe blunt-force injuries to her head and face.

Wolfson’s grandmother called 911, with cops and medics arriving and taking Wolfson to the hospital with self-inflicted injuries to his neck.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Wolfson faces murder charges as well as a felony enhancement for using a deadly weapon.

“It is heartbreaking to think that someone could so violently end the life of the very person who gave them life,” Spitzer said.

Wolfson is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 1 in Orange County.

Caprioli, who was visiting from Maine, was pronounced dead at the hillside home on Dunning Drive in the popular beach town.

Wolfson was arrested three days later and booked on suspicion of murder.

Neighbor Dustin Pettit told The California Post that he witnessed Wolfson and Caprioli involved in a tense argument at the home before the alleged killing.

“I saw her outside talking with him and it seemed like a pretty hostile conversation,” he said.

“She turned around and went inside and slammed the door, like she was fed up with whatever was going on. I was like, ‘What the hell is going on here?’”

Images from the scene show damaged blinds in one of the home’s windows.

Neighbors told CBS Los Angeles that Wolfson kept largely to himself and occasionally came outside to smoke cigarettes and play guitar.

Pettit said that Wolfson moved into the home about six months ago.

He said the house where the alleged slaying occurred has been a longstanding eyesore in the neighborhood due to vegetation overgrowth. Police have frequently been called to the address over the years, he added. 

Caprioli showed up at the address about a week before the killing in a red pickup truck loaded with boxes and flatscreens, Pettit said.

Wolfson’s strnge online presence drew attention as investigators probed the alleged homicide.

An X account bearing Wolfson’s name says the owner is a “trans girl looking for fun in LA,” and a TikTok account associated Wolfson includes several videos showing him dancing in dresses, miniskirts, crop tops and underwear.

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