Woman Slain in Parking Lot of Mini-Mall

A Port Hueneme man facing the breakup of a long-term relationship shot his girlfriend to death Sunday and then turned the gun on himself in the parking lot of a 5th Street market, police said.

Marivel Beccera Camacho, 36, of Oxnard was pronounced dead at the scene, with gunshot wounds to her head. Alfredo Cervantes, 39, was still alive when paramedics arrived but died a short time later at St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

Shaken market employees recalled Camacho as a bright and caring woman who ran Agencia de Viajes, a travel agency at the mini-mall.

“She was a very intelligent, sweet person who I believe could never do a thing wrong to anyone,” said John Morales, the market’s security officer.

The shooting occurred just before 11:30 a.m., when the Santa Cruz Markets Mini Mall, near the intersection of East 5th Street and Mountain View Avenue, was still mostly empty. Camacho drove into the parking lot, probably to start work, Morales said. Store employees had just raised the metal gates on the travel agency in preparation for her arrival.

As she drove her Buick into a parking stall, another car pulled up behind her and blocked her in, witnesses said. Cervantes got out of the second car, opened the Buick’s driver-side door, shoved Camacho into the passenger seat and climbed in, according to witnesses.

Morales walked into the parking lot with the market manager and saw two people in the car and a gun in Cervantes’ hand. The store manager turned to call the police, but within seconds, Cervantes fired two or three shots at Camacho’s head.

“All I could see was her head falling and hitting the window,” Morales said.

The shots shattered the car’s passenger-door window, said Antonio Lopez, who works in themarket’s kitchen. Still in the car, Cervantes then pointed the gun at his own head.

“He shot her in like one minute, really quick, then shot himself,” Lopez said.

Oxnard police said Camacho and Cervantes had dated for a long time, but Camacho was trying to end the relationship. Cervantes followed her to the market to confront her, they said.

“It looks like the old ‘love gone awry’ homicide-suicide,” said Sgt. Cliff Troy.

Several hours later, the glass had been swept from the parking lot, the cars towed away, and business at the store was back to normal. As he stared at the empty travel agency desk, Morales said he would miss Camacho.

She was a good conversationalist and always quick to help others, he said.

“She was a real beautiful person,” he said. “She was beautiful on the outside, but doubly so on the inside.”