A double murder-suicide claimed three people who were bound by poverty, addiction and mental illness. Like many in Southern California’s growing population of people who are homeless, and those who are nearly so, they were searching for a place to belong.
We discovered different pieces of the same tragic story. Persistence and serendipity allowed us to finish it
Cuellar and Krause’s former home was also a quick walk to one of the most established homeless encampments in Los Angeles, a place filled with intricate tents and makeshift shelters on small islands in the river. His brother was believed to be either high or drunk when he veered through the center divider of a local road, slammed head-on into a pickup and died. Garland was“His older brother took care of Geoff,” said Eric Sanders, a friend of the brother. “I think that really sent him sideways.”
Hoag, now 57, remembers how alcohol changed Garland. When he was drinking, he was fun but out of control. “He would start early in the morning,” she said. “I don’t think he was able to fight that demon off. He never really got that help.”For the next several years, Garland bounced around the Southwest before returning to Los Angeles in 2008; the last decade of his life was a blur of drugs, alcohol and run-ins with police.
Melissa Millner pets her dog Lazy next to her tent near the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles. Millner had dated Geoff Garland for three years. Williams arranged for Krause and Cuellar to move in with Freeman, who was about 70 at the time. A home care aide looked after the elderly man during the day, and the couple was supposed to care for him at night. In return, they lived rent-free in the two-bedroom, two-bath house with hardwood floors and a leafy yard.On its face, it was a good deal. Lopez, a frequent visitor to the Atwater Village home, said Freeman was well cared for, although he did not leave his room.
Dobbs said they would hang out in Freeman’s house, cooking meals, doing laundry and partying into the night. Krause gave her free run of the pantryHomeless people often feel invisible to their better-off neighbors, who hurry by on foot or via car, eyes averted. But Monica Alcaraz, who oversees a church shelter program, says that doesn’t mean they’re totally disconnected from the domestic lives of others.
As the weeks went by, Cuellar and Garland grew close. Krause allowed them to have sex on one condition: He had to be in the house when they were intimate there. But then they started spending time together when Krause wasn’t around. Right before Cuellar left for California, she and Shannon reconciled, talking and texting every day. Shannon said she felt as if she finally had a mother again.
“He could break hinges off a door,” Shannon said. “Sometimes I said we should call the police. But my mom said, ‘No, he does this. He’ll be fine.’”
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