A married couple found shot dead in their California home have been identified as 58-year-old Beverly Green Harmon and 62-year-old Wendell Harmon. According to the coroner, both died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Police said the bodies were found on the evening of Dec. 20, when deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Altadena station responded for a welfare check.
Authorities are still working to determine what caused the shooting. Shortly after the discovery of the bodies, the victims’ families held a candlelight vigil for the couple. “I can’t sleep. It’s traumatic,” Monica Harmon, the victim’s sister, said at the vigil. “Just knowing that somebody is out there and they would do something like this to them is unsettling.”
Loved ones described the pair as a power couple. Wendell worked for Pasadena’s Parks and Recreation Department while Beverly, who had worked for several decades in finance, owned a home health aide business. Family members stated that Beverly and Wendell Harmon had been married for more than 30 years.
“I know I can never bring them back, but right now I can’t even function,” Monica Harmon said. “I can’t function. I don’t know what my life is going to be like without them.”
The news comes after a California mother of three along with her teenage son were found beaten to death in their Stockton home just days before Christmas Day. Alicia Montejano, 43, and 19-year-old Reuel Huerta were both found dead on Monday at around 11 p.m., according to a statement from the Stockton Police Department.
The statement said officers responded to the family’s home on the 2500 block of Belleview Ave for calls of two unresponsive persons. When officers arrived at the home they discovered both Montejano and Huerta unresponsive. They were both pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Authorities have now named 38-year-old Julio Ceasar Valdez as their prime suspect in the killing. He remains at large as of Friday evening and is said to be driving a gray 4-door sedan. Police did not say what the cause of death was in the statement but the New York Post reported that they had been beaten to death.
A relative told KCRA that Valdez was Montejano’s boyfriend, and believed the suspected killings were due to a domestic dispute. Marisa Vigil, Montejano’s daughter, told KCRA 3 that she had not heard from her mother all day on Monday and grew concerned.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support Montejano’s other children as well as help pay for funeral expenses. “It’s with the heaviest heart that we announce that on December 23, 2024, the lives of a Mother and Son were both senselessly taken from us too soon as victims of crime.
Alicia was a 43-year-old mother of 3, daughter, and aunt. Reuel was a 19-year-old son, cousin, and nephew. Together, they brought joy to all those around them and shared a family with an unbreakable bond. They will never be forgotten.” the GoFundMe read.
“No family should ever have to experience something as horrific as this, especially not alone. Your support means everything to our family at this time, whether it be through a donation or sharing this around. Every contribution helps, no matter the size; please consider helping give this mother and her son the farewell that they deserve.”
