2 Athletes Held in 3 Slayings in Clairemont

Authorities said Friday that an unusual display of public cooperation, apparently motivated by shock at the brutality of the crime, directly led police to the arrests of two suspects in the slayings of a Clairemont woman, her 3-year-old son and a man.

In custody on suspicion of three counts of murder, police said, were two friends--Christopher Clark Box, 20, of San Diego, a former star wrestler and football player at Clairemont High School, and a 17-year-old who is entering his senior year at Clairemont and is on the football team. The teen-ager’s identity was not disclosed because he is a juvenile.

Police alleged that the two, apparently motivated by robbery--with possible drug overtones--committed the killings Wednesday at the Clairemont duplex where all three victims lived.

The victims were April Gilhousen, 20; Bryan Gilhousen, 3, and Kevin Morton Chandler, 29.

‘Good Kids’

Hal Krupens, the football coach at Clairemont, described Box and the juvenile as “good kids” who stayed out of trouble, a sentiment expressed by others who know the pair. “This is just real hard to figure,” Krupens said.

At least three witnesses can place the two suspects at the site of the killings at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the approximate time of the slayings, said David Cohen, San Diego Police Department spokesman.

Box, being held at County Jail without bail, was taken into custody Thursday night outside a friend’s house in Clairemont, police said, and the juvenile was arrested at his nearby home early Friday. Both were picked up without incident within a mile or so of the duplex in the 4300 block of Clairemont Mesa where the slayings took place, police said.

The arrests followed a number of tips from area residents who expressed revulsion at the killings.

Tips From Public

“I believe the public was outraged that this happened,” said police Capt. Bill Taylor, who cited specifically the slayings of Gilhousen and her son, who turned 3 on the day of the slayings. “People who might not normally approach us came forward voluntarily and gave us information.”

The result, Taylor said, was that police learned that a man named “Chris Box” had been seen in the area, and that a blue, late-model car matching the description of Box’s vehicle had also been spotted. The vehicle, which has since been impounded, was allegedly used to transport the bodies of Chandler and Bryan to other spots along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, where they were dumped and eventually found by passers-by.

“We’re satisfied that we have all the suspects,” Taylor said.

Police say the assailants probably entered the home without having to force their way in, adding that Box probably knew Gilhousen. The killers may have had reason to believe that Gilhousen had $500 to $1,000 in cash at home, said Taylor.

Cash Recovered

A “substantial amount of cash” was recovered from the juvenile, Elliot said.

Box was described as an unemployed college student and formerly acclaimed wrestler, running back and linebacker at Clairemont High School, where last year he was named the top heavyweight wrestler in the San Diego section of the California Interscholastic Federation.

Box graduated from Clairemont in 1988 and started at inside linebacker last year with the San Diego City College team, according to Krupens. Box, from a middle-class background, was hoping to enroll at San Diego State University this year and win a walk-on spot on the football squad, Krupens said.

“I’m absolutely shocked,” said Peter G. Schroeder, vice principal at Clairemont High, who described Box as a B student who kept up his grades and was well-liked. “He was not at all considered a problem student.”

Box is slightly under 6 feet and weighs about 240 pounds.

‘A Lot of Heart’

“He (Box) could have been a good ballplayer for somebody,” said Krupens, the high school coach. “He has a lot of heart.”

The coach had a similar view of the juvenile arrested along with Box. “I don’t understand it,” Krupens said.

In June, according to court records and David James, deputy San Diego city attorney, Box pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of selling alcoholic beverages without a license. He was fined $100 and placed on probation for one year, court records show. The incident apparently stemmed from sales at a party, said James.

The possible involvement of drugs in the triple-murder case remained somewhat vague, but police said they were investigating several leads.

Investigators Found Pipes

Just outside the rear of the home, authorities said, investigators found a small amount of a substance, thought to be methamphetamine, that apparently had been dropped there. Two pipes, believed to have been used for smoking marijuana, were found inside the dwelling, police said.

Autopsies revealed that Gilhousen died of a stab wound to the heart and blunt injury to her head, and Chandler succumbed to head blows and a cut to his neck. Bryan Gilhousen died of head injuries and strangulation, according to the San Diego County coroner’s office.

Gilhousen was found dead at the duplex, in the same room with her infant daughter, who was uninjured. Police say the dead males were transported to other sites along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, where the adult was discarded first, and, some time later, the boy’s body was placed in a carport. Their remains were found before the woman’s body was discovered at the duplex Wednesday afternoon.

Weapons Seized

Several possible murder weapons have been seized, said police, who declined to be more specific.

Both suspects are slated to be arraigned Monday.

On Thursday, police had said they were seeking an unidentified man known only as “Roger,” who had apparently answered the telephone at the Clairemont residence on the morning of the murders. However, police said they had since contacted Roger and determined that he was not involved in the slayings, and that one of the two suspects may have answered the telephone and identified himself as Roger.