Police: Father killed sons then self in Chula Vista home
— A man fatally shot his two teenage sons, set their Chula Vista home on fire and turned the gun on himself Tuesday morning – the third time in a month that children in the region have been victims of a murder-suicide, authorities said.Suicide notes at the home indicated that Thomas Fuchs, 49, planned the deaths, Chula Vista police Lt. Lon Turner said.
He identified Fuchs’ sons as Sean, 15, and Kyle, 13.
Kyle was in 7th grade at Bonita Vista Middle School in Chula Vista, and Sean was a student at High Tech High School in Chula Vista.
The blaze at the yellow single-story home on Bonita Verde Drive off Sweetwater Road in the Bonita Verde Estates was reported just after 1:30 a.m., Turner said. The fire was started in several places throughout the ranch-style house that sits on a quiet cul-de-sac, Turner said.
Firefighters put the flames out quickly and then discovered the body of the man in a hallway and the bodies of two teens in their bedrooms. All three died from gunshot wounds, Turner said.
The mother of the boys, Maria Pe, arrived about 8:20 a.m. and talked to police for a few moments before she was heard screaming in anguish, and then exclaiming “No, no, no!” before collapsing on the ground.
She was driven away in a police vehicle.
California State Bar records show that Fuchs was an inactive member of the bar, as is Pe, his ex-wife. The bar records show that Fuchs attended Fordham University in New York and the University of California, Hastings, law school. He was admitted to the bar in 1990.
Bonita Vista’s principal, Bernard Balanay, described Kyle as a straight-A student who was taking accelerated classes.
“He was well-liked,” Balanay said. “His teachers said he was quiet, pretty reserved for most of the year, but later, his humor started coming out.”
Balanay said Sean had also attended the middle school and took part in the competitive Knowledge Bowl for two years.
“It ran in the family as far as being bright,” Balanay said. “We want to remember them as the successful students they were.”
Friends of the two boys organized a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening in front of the Fuchs home.
Neighbor Pat Valdivia described Fuchs and his sons as the “perfect dad and sons.” He said the boys were always outside playing basketball and football, and that they frequently had friends over.
Valdivia said the mother did not live at the house.
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