Friends Mourn Teens Slain in Murder-Suicide

As students at one South Bay high school mourn the loss of a two teenagers killed Tuesday in a murder-suicide, friends who attended a vigil outside the teens’ home expressed anger.

Grief counselors will be on hand for students attending the last day of the school year at High Tech High Chula Vista to help them cope with the murder of Sean Fuchs, 15.

Sean and his 13-year-old Kyle were found shot in their bedrooms. Firefighters made the discovery after battling a house fire on Bonita Verde Road early Tuesday. The body of the boys’ father, 49-year-old Thomas Fuchs, was found in the hallway, a pistol by his side.

“I don’t understand why their dad did this,” Seth Calvert said. “It makes me real angry that he would do this.

“They just seemed normal. It didn’t seem like nothing like this would happen,” said Sianna Samson one of the teenagers who routinely carpooled with the Fuchs.

A woman whose child was close friends with Sean told NBCSanDiego that Thomas Fuchs and his ex-wife Maria Pe had been fighting over child support and custody over the two boys.

Real estate records show the family’s home was in the process of foreclosure.

Investigators said Fuchs, a life coach and attorney, left multiple suicide notes and photo albums inside his minivan parked outside the home.

“He did reach out to family members telling them certain things that he appreciated about them. The fact that they probably wouldn't understand why he did what he did,” said Lt. Lon Turner with the Chula Vista police department.

The teenagers at the vigil appeared shell-shocked.

Allee Benson, a friend of Fuchs’ younger son was at a loss for words to describe her anger.

“Kyle didn’t deserve to die like this,” said Benson. “Why him out of all people?”

“We were on the same team at school so we’re a family there so it’s like we lost one of our family members,” said Carollina Ruiz.

Investigators say Fuchs used some type of flammable fluid to start fires in different parts of the home. Flames destroyed half of the house, but the other half remained in tact.

This is the third recent murder-suicide case in which adults killed children.

On May 24, the Pimienta family was discovered inside a Bay Terraces home. The children, Priscilla and Emily, were the victims of an apparent suicide pact.

On June 1, the bodies of Catherine Alvarez and her two children were found inside their Chula Vista home. Police believe Alvarez’ boyfriend Alfredo Almonte strangled the family before jumping off a highway bridge in Spring Valley.

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