A 62-year-old man accused of crashing his truck into a Bay Park home and allegedly setting a fire that killed a woman believed to be his wife was arraigned from a hospital Wednesday on a murder charge. If convicted, Stephen L. Coates could face either the death penalty or 25 years to life in st ate prison, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. A Death in Bay Park Bay Park Dec 30, 2025 Police ID driver, his wife who was killed after Toyota plowed into Bay Park home San Diego Dec 29, 2025 Woman found dead after truck crashes into Bay Park home; husband detained Bay Park Dec 29, 2025 Husband arrested after Toyota slams into Bay Park house; wife's body found The murder charge includes special circumstance allegations of arson and mayhem. The criminal complaint alleges the killing of 61-year-old Monica Coates was intentional and involved torture. Monica Coates called 911 at 7:38 a.m. Monday to report that her husband had crashed his pickup into their home in the 4300 block of Dakota Drive, near Fontana Avenue, according to the San Diego Police Department. Neighbors also called police to report the crash and said they heard screaming from inside the residence, police said. Officers arrived about eight minutes later and saw smoke and fire inside the home, police said. They entered to check on the occupants and found Monica Coates deceased in the master bathroom with severe burn injuries, according to police. Stephen Coates was also found in the bathroom with burns and was taken to a hospital, police said. Fire crews extinguished a small fire and secured the home’s utilities. Homicide detectives took over the case, and Coates was later arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. “They have learned Stephen Coates was the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the residence and was responsible for starting the fire inside the home,” SDPD Lt. Chris Tivanian said. “The victim was the only occupant inside the home at the time of the collision, and had a temporary restraining order against Coates at the time of the crash.” Court records show a restraining order was filed in November. In her request, Monica Coates wrote that her husband had become paranoid and believed she was “conspiring with others to kill him and his paranoia has made him erratic and makes me fear for my safety because he perceives me as someone he needs to protect himself from.” She wrote that those beliefs led him to demand to search her phone, iPad, and email accounts for apparent evidence of the conspiracy. He also asked a friend of his if he should arm himself with a shotgun for protection, she wrote. Monica Coates eventually “fled” her home, but returned after receiving a phone call from one of their neighbors who stated things had “escalated,” according to court records. When returning to the home, she discovered her husband “booby trapped the interior of the home with fishing line, and had bolted the front door mail slot with a metal plate,” according to the restraining order request. Psychiatric Emergency Response Team officers removed Stephen Coates from the home involuntarily and a psychiatric hold was put in place. While Stephen Coates was hospitalized, he apparently made several calls to friends in which he continued to make “claims about the false narrative,” she wrote. In her restraining order request, she wrote that her husband was released from the hospital earlier than expected, leading her to seek court intervention “because I’ve been told Steve still believes I am a threat.” She also wrote that her husband had previously destroyed or damaged property and she was concerned he might “do more in (his) current mental state.” Court records also show a restraining order request was filed by Monica Coates against her husband in 2009. Details on what led to that request were not available in Superior Court records, which showed that the case was dismissed less than a month later. A readiness conference is scheduled for March 11, and a preliminary hearing for April 15, according to prosecutors. An online fundraiser, which has quickly raised more than $25,000, has been established to assist the couple’s two sons, Nick and Neil, and help cover funeral costs. Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the SDPD’s Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. ...read more read less