Wife Kills Man, His Fiancee and Herself

A woman shot and killed her estranged husband and his girlfriend outside the man’s El Rio house Wednesday, then turned the gun on herself as the girlfriend’s 6-year-old grandson looked on, authorities said.

Tony Sanchez II, 54, a popular merchant who operated a Mobil gas station, was found dead outside his family’s Will Avenue home in the working-class neighborhood just north of Oxnard. Nearby was the body of Marisela Paniagua, 49, of Oxnard, authorities said.

The shooter was identified as Sanchez’s 44-year-old wife, Victoria Sanchez, who lives in El Paso, Texas, but was staying with relatives in Oxnard, authorities said. Her body was found on the driveway near the other two.

Paniagua’s nephew, Robert Gonzalez, said Victoria Sanchez was jealous because her soon-to-be ex-husband was in love with Paniagua. He said his aunt had told him that the estranged wife had been harassing Tony Sanchez in recent months.

Sanchez filed for divorce last November after nearly 22 years of marriage, according to court records. The divorce was not yet final.

“My aunt was very happy with her new fiance,” Gonzalez said. “His ex-wife couldn’t get over it.”

The murder-suicide occurred in plain view of neighbors, including several children, said Eric Nishimoto, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman. Sounds of gunfire caught the attention of one neighborhood teenager who stepped outside his front door as Paniagua’s grandson ran to him and threw his arms around his leg.

Mary Lopez, who lives directly across from the Sanchez house, said she and her four granddaughters were in the yard filling up a wading pool when the shooting occurred.

One of the granddaughters said she saw a woman pull up to the driveway in a white van, step out and fire the shots. “I heard [Paniagua] say ‘Help me!’ She was screaming,” the girl said.

According to Texas authorities, the van was purchased by her husband in 1994, when they lived together in El Paso.

Tony and Victoria Sanchez and their two sons lived in a well-maintained neighborhood in Texas, where rows of manicured lawns and swimming pools surround single-family homes.

According to Texas neighbors interviewed Wednesday, Tony Sanchez left his wife around 1996, about the time their two sons moved out of the house. His wife remained there until September.

“The last time I saw her personally was about eight months ago when an ambulance and a cop car pulled up. She was apparently going through a bout of depression and that brought everybody out to make sure everything was safe,” said Troy Jackson, a neighbor.

At Sanchez Mobil on Rose Avenue on Wednesday, an attendant who gave his name only as Jesse said Sanchez took over the gas station after his father died.

Sanchez frequently donated to charitable causes and “helped a lot of the community,” the attendant said. “He’ll be mourned by a lot of people.”

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Times staff writer Tracy Wilson and Times Community News reporter Holly Wolcott contributed to this report.