A joint memorial service on Saturday celebrated and remembered a loving mother and her four sons who were killed in a tragic murder-suicide in November.
On stage at the service, four blue flower bouquets surrounded one pink flower bouquet to represent Sabrina Rosario surrounded by her boys.
Family and friends gathered for a 6:30 p.m. service at Centro Familiar Cristiano Church in Paradise Hills to honor Sabrina Rosario, 29, and her sons Enzi Valdivia, 3, Zuriel Valdivia, 5, Ezekiel Valdivia, 9, and Zeth Valdivia, 11.
The service was filled with loss, but also with music and joy as loved ones celebrated those lost. Some even arrived dressed as Batman, Sabrina's favorite superhero.
"We want to cry? Yes. Are we angry? Yes, but we're going to focus on being at peace because they are together, they're resting already" said Cesar Ruiz, Sabrina's uncle.
Sabrina's mother and the boys' grandmother, Gloria Collins, wanted people to remember Sabrina for the dedication and love she gave to her children.
"She was living only for her children. She would wake up, run into the school, run into the baseball practice," Collins said. "Yes, I am proud of my daughter. She was doing her best."
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Six family members, including the suspect, were found with gunshot wounds in their Paradise Hills home on Nov. 16. Investigators believe the boys' father shot his estranged wife Sabrina Rosario, the four boys and then himself, SDPD Lt. Matt Dobbs said.
The only surviving family member, 9-year-old Ezekiel Valdivia, remained in a coma and later died after being taken off life support, family members confirmed. His family decided to donate his organs.
“He was fighting for his life, but God had the last word,” Collins said. “Maybe it was the best for him, for them to be together.”
Less than 24 hours before José Valdivia, 31, shot his family in their Paradise Hills home, a San Diego judge approved a restraining order commanding him to stay away from the family, according to court documents obtained by NBC 7 on Nov. 18.
It was not clear if suspect José Valdivia was served with the paperwork before opening fire on Sabrina Rosario and the children the following day.
