Boyfriend kills mom of 4 in front of kids after shopping trip, California reports say
A mother of four was killed by her longtime boyfriend in front of her children after the pair walked home to their apartment from a shopping trip, California reports say.
Nicole Santillanes, 38, and Richard Lara, 38, who had been in a relationship for 13 years and shared two children together, got into an argument on Feb. 4 after they arrived home separately from their shopping trip, according to Los Angeles police and media reports.
After the fight, Lara is accused of killing his girlfriend, police said in a Feb. 8 news release.
Three of Santillanes’ children were home and saw their mother being beaten and stabbed, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Lara fled before police arrived but was arrested three days later, according to police.
Santillanes, a nursing assistant with children ages 20, 13, 8, and 7, “cared for everyone around her, including her patients,” according to a GoFundMe set up for the family.
“She did everything open-heartedly and with extreme love,” the GoFundMe said. “Her drivers were her kids and will forever be her kids.”
Santillanes’ sister, Ashley Gjurich, told ABC7 Eyewitness News that her sister “was the life of the party.”
“Everybody loved her. She was outgoing. She was very independent,” Gjurich told the outlet.
Lara was booked into jail on a murder charge, police said. He is being held on $2 million bail, according to jail records.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Boyfriend kills mom of 4 in front of kids after shopping trip, California reports say."
