Man Slays Ex-Girlfriend and Then Kills Himself

A gunman chased his former girlfriend through the courtyard of an apartment complex Sunday afternoon before shooting her to death and then killing himself with the same weapon, authorities said.

Witnesses said the gunman leaped over a wall at the gated apartment complex on Harbor Boulevard about 1 p.m. and then shot the lock off a sliding glass door to gain entry to the woman’s apartment. One shot reportedly struck the woman in the hand.

The victim, identified as Kathleen Jo Phelps, 48, fled through the front door of the apartment and ran through the courtyard, apparently trying to reach the apartment manager’s office in the center of the complex.

She was chased by the gunman who, in turn, was followed by the woman’s son, who had also been inside the apartment, according to Orange County sheriff’s investigators. Witnesses said the woman’s son--about 25 years old--was heard screaming: “He’s trying to kill my mom.”

The woman was gunned down within a few feet of the manager’s office. Witnesses said they heard three or four rapid gunshots and saw the victim fall into the bushes. They said she appeared to die immediately.

After briefly inspecting the body, the assailant then put the .38-caliber revolver to his head and fired a single fatal shot. Investigators wouldn’t immediately release his name, saying the middle-aged man’s next of kin had not yet been notified.

“My children were playing right out here when he was shooting at her,” said Cyndi Ebert, 30, a nearby resident. “I was making lunch and I heard two shots. Then I heard bam, bam, bam, bam. I heard four shots.”

Sheriff’s investigators sealed off a wide area around the victim’s apartment and the scene of the shooting.

Authorities said the shooting Sunday was the result of a dispute between the two that began on Friday.

Neighbors said the victim had changed the lock on her apartment Saturday night to protect herself from her ex-boyfriend. One resident said the gunman had been living at the apartment until Saturday, when the couple broke up, prompting the woman to change the lock.

In addition to her son, neighbors said the woman also had two daughters. In voter registration records, Phelps listed her occupation as a painter.

But several neighbors interviewed near Phelps’ apartment late Sunday said they knew little about the victim.

The Pacific Woods apartments at 16350 Harbor Blvd. is an extensive complex that includes 29 buildings with about a dozen units in each structure. It is located in an unincorporated area near the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Edinger Avenue just outside the city of Fountain Valley.

Residents said the complex is usually a quiet place to live.

“It’s quiet,” said Ebert. “I used to call this my serenity house.”

Neighbors said there were few people in the courtyard when the shooting occurred. Several residents who heard the shots and ran outside were quickly told to go back in.

“I heard screaming, then I think maybe three more shots,” said Janet Whitewater, who was watching television when the shooting erupted. “My roommate saw him chasing her with the gun.”