‘She Tried to Get Away’: He Always Found Her

The Anaheim mother of six who was shot and killed Thursday by her estranged husband was described Friday as a battered wife who moved several times in an unsuccessful attempt to escape his attacks.

The woman, identified by police as Bertha Chevas, 30, and her husband were found dead in their apartment near Disneyland Thursday by their eldest child, a 13-year-old boy, when he came home from school. Police said Chevas had been shot by Jesus B. Carrillo, 43, who then shot himself in the temple with the same .22-caliber revolver he had used on his wife.

Chevas had sought help at the Women’s Transitional Living Center in North Orange County at least two years ago after complaining of being beaten by her husband, shelter director Susan Leibel said Friday.

“She tried to get away from him but he would always find her,” Leibel said.

Chevas initially sought a “safe shelter,” Leibel said, and was admitted to the center’s 45-day program. Chevas subsequently made several visits to the center for counseling or for advice, Leibel said.

On Friday, staffers at the women’s center were described as “devastated” after word spread that Chevas had been killed.

At the school attended by 13-year-old Jesus Carrillo, children hugged one another and attempted to understand the reality of death and what their classmate faces, said Diane Donnelly, the boy’s social studies teacher.

“This is awkward for them. This is not TV, this is real, and it’s difficult for them to understand,” Donnelly said.

Chevas had told neighbors that her estranged husband had recently threatened to kill her and that she feared for her life. The neighbors said Carrillo, who was unemployed and suffered from a back injury, had moved out of the family’s one-bedroom apartment several months ago. Chevas, they said, held two jobs to pay the $435 monthly rent and help support her children, who ranged in age from 5 to 13.

In an interview Thursday after the bodies were discovered, one neighbor grew silent and said in Spanish that Carrillo was “ muy malo (very bad).”

At the women’s shelter, Leibel said, Chevas had been counseled by Spanish-speaking counselors who came to adore the “tiny little woman” who would do anything to take care of her children.

On many occasions, Chevas moved away to escape her husband. But he would always find her, Leibel said.

“It was difficult for her to find housing because she was low-income,” Leibel said. “We kept in contact during the two years. She would move, but he found her again and again. When we heard (about her death) it was heartbreaking.”

Dead at the Scene

Police and Anaheim paramedics found the husband lying on top of his wife, in a bedroom closet of their apartment in the 1500 block of South Michelle Drive about 3:15 p.m. Thursday. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The children, including young Jesus Carrillo, remained in a “state of shock” Friday but were otherwise in good condition at Orangewood Children’s Home, a county facility in Orange, said Robert Theemling, Orangewood’s director.

Apparently no relatives live in the United States, but police contacted Chevas’ brother who lives in Mexico and referred him to Orangewood, Anaheim Police Lt. Bill Wright said.

Thursday night, police tried to delay turning the children over to the Orangewood facility until every effort had been made to locate other family members.

“Hey, we wouldn’t release the kids until we knew there wasn’t a relative locally,” Wright said. “These are six of the sweetest kids in the world. They were well cared for, well-mannered and you really felt sorry for what they went through,” he said.

On Friday, Orangewood staffers worked to console the Carrillo children.

Period of Shock

“It takes a while for this kind of shock to sink in,” Theemling said. “We don’t know how long it may last. But with other children we’ve had here, it takes a period of shock before you actually can grieve about (the loss).”

Orangewood will review and, if necessary, forward an application to Juvenile Court to place the children into the court’s custody, he said.

A social worker has been assigned the case, Theemling said, adding that by late Friday the brother had not contacted Orangewood. If a relative is found and expresses a desire to take custody of the children, the person must first be screened by the county Social Services Agency.

“In the event that no other family member is located, it’s possible a friend of the family can become a licensed foster family,” Theemling said.

Orangewood has handled larger families than the Carrillos, although placement for all six children with the same foster family is not likely, Theemling said.

“Our first priority is to try to locate a relative,” Theemling said.

The children will be enrolled in Orangewood’s schools, which are operated through the Orange Unified School District.

‘Quiet and Well-Behaved’

Theemling said a custody hearing is expected Wednesday.

Teachers at Anaheim’s Ball Junior High School, where the 13-year-old attended, described him as a B-minus student who is “likable, quiet and well-behaved.” Principal Miles Brakke said several teachers hope that arrangements can be made to allow Jesus to remain at Ball “rather than be relocated in a foster family in another area.”

“Several teachers were even discussing the possibility of adopting him,” Brakke said Friday.

“He just is a super kid, very courteous and very cooperative,” said social studies teacher Donnelly.

Added Barbara DeBow, the boy’s English as a second language instructor: “Our main concern is what we as teachers can do to get him through this. Age 13 is pretty rough even with the best of help.

“I imagine he has been carrying a lot of burdens with him about his home life. We just never knew it. He’s the kind of kid you would like to have as your own son,” DeBow said.

At Palm Lane Elementary School in Anaheim, attended by the other Carrillo children, Principal Joyce Holmes said: “I think the reaction has been one of my staff wanting to do something for the children and not knowing what to do.”