The bodies of a California mother of three and her 19-year-old son were found dead by her daughter days before the family was set to celebrate Christmas.
Alicia Montejano, 43, and her son Reuel Huerta were found brutally beaten inside an apartment complex on the 2500 block of Belleview Ave in Stockton, Calif. on Dec. 23.
Julio Caesar Valdez, 38, is accused of leaving the battered bodies inside the apartment, roughly 51 miles south of Sacramento, before fleeing the area in a gray four-door sedan, the Stockton Police Department said.
Valdez, the boyfriend of Montejano, was described as dangerous as his alleged victims’ grieving family members have uncovered the checkered past of the suspected murderer including his past abuses, KCRA reported.
It was unclear if there was a restraining order against Valdez, but police say he did not force his way into the apartment.
Montejano’s daughter made the gruesome discovery of her mother and younger brother after not hearing from them all day.
“I found them,” Montejano’s daughter Marissa Vigil told ABC10. “I couldn’t believe it. It felt like I was dying at the time. I couldn’t breathe, and I still couldn’t get the pictures out of my head.”
“She’ll always keep a smile on your face and always make you laugh no matter what,” she added. “I was her best friend.”
Vigil called 911 at around 11 p.m. Monday.
Montejano and Huerta were both pronounced dead inside the apartment.
Huerta’s body was found with a laceration while police have yet to disclose the condition of Montejano’s body pending the results of their autopsies.
“The male had a laceration, which, appears to be the cause of death there, pending any other further autopsy. As far as the female, there was no gunshot, wounds or anything like that,” the Stockton Police Department told the KCRA.
The mourning family said both Montejano and Huerta were “senselessly taken too soon,” as they couldn’t celebrate Christmas because of the murders.
“The pain gets harder and harder,” Vigil said. “We can’t sleep, we can’t eat, my head is not okay.”
Huerta’s father said his son wasn’t asking for much gifts for the holiday because the teen was passionate about his computer, as the heartbroken father sought justice for his son.
“They both did not deserve this,” Raul Huerta told ABC10. “We need justice. He had the biggest heart. He would not hurt nobody.”
Montejano and Huerta were remembered by their family in a touching tribute.
“Together, they brought joy to all those around them and shared a family with an unbreakable bond,” the family said in a GoFundMe aimed at raising money for funeral costs.
Stockton police have opened a homicide investigation into the slayings and are offering a $10,000 reward for information on Valdez.
