Investigators say Cipullo stabbed his 57-year-old mother, Rebecca Garcia, with a kitchen knife inside the board-and-care facility that she operated. Another son found his mother's body early Thursday morning.
Authorities say Cipullo and his mother had a "volatile" relationship, and Garcia had recently made her son move out. Cipullo was arrested Saturday in Santa Ana after someone recognized him from media reports and called police.
Garcia lived with her sons in the board-and-care facility at 1909 W. Carlton Place that she had operated for about two decades.
If convicted, Cipullo faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison.
City News Service contributed to this report.