SANTA ANA : Former Boyfriend Is Suspect in 2 Slayings

The former boyfriend of a slain cocktail waitress is being sought in connection with the murders of the woman and her new boyfriend, who were found shot to death inside the woman’s apartment earlier this week, police said Thursday.

Guillermo Villanueva Aguilar, known locally as Guillermo Ochoa, was reportedly seen near the woman’s apartment shortly before the shootings, which police believe occurred early Sunday morning, said Lt. Robert Helton.

“He was upset about the break-up of their relationship and is alleged to have been violent,” Helton said of the 33-year-old suspect, whom authorities have been trying to question all week.

The victims, 23-year-old Maria Laura Suarez and 31-year-old Crisanto Flores, were discovered Monday afternoon, about 36 hours after the shootings are believed to have occurred.

Neighbors in the three-story apartment complex, in the 1100 block of West Civic Center Drive, said this week that Suarez and Flores began dating about a month ago.

Aguilar “was jealous,” said neighbor Max Mendez. “I heard them fighting a couple of times. She told me she was afraid, but she never thought anything would really happen.”

Neighbors say Suarez had kicked Aguilar out of the apartment two months ago after a violent argument. The woman told several people in the complex that Aguilar had tried to choke her.

“When he tried to choke her, she kicked him out,” said Art Bautista, assistant manager of the complex. “She came downstairs crying and told us that he beat her up. She had marks on her neck.”

Police and neighbors said Aguilar had been trying to reconcile with Suarez.

“He was trying to get her to come back,” Bautista said. “She would refuse to talk to him. He would wait outside of her door. He knew her schedule and would go to her work. It was like he was stalking her.”

Aguilar is described as Latino, with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-foot-7 and weighs 150 pounds, police said.

“We do not know his whereabouts,” Helton said. “We are in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for him alleging two counts of murder.”