CRYSTAL and NELSON CAMACHO - 8 and 10 yo (12/06) - / Murderer: Father, Tony Camacho, a suicide - West Palm Beach, FL

Fire kills 2 children, dad

Man had lost the home, custody of children in divorce, authorities say

December 23, 2006|By Erika Slife, Rhonda J. Miller and Stephanie Horvath Staff writers and Staff Researcher William Lucey contributed to this report.

West Lake Worth — Tony Camacho apparently set fire to his house Thursday night, killing himself, his 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, leaving his ex-wife without the children she'd fought for in a custody battle, investigators said.

The blaze destroyed the white two-bedroom house, which was supposed to have been turned over to his wife, Jennie Carter, within a month, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokesman Paul Miller. Carter, 37, who is staying with her parents in Lake Worth, won custody of their children last week.

"There's no question: intentional. This was a premeditated act," Miller said.

Camacho, 39, had asked Carter to see the children to give them their Christmas presents Thursday night, before she was to take them to Georgia, Miller said. He picked them up about 7 p.m. and was to have them back to their mother by 9. The fire was reported about 8:30, according to officials.Camacho died at the scene Thursday. His daughter, Crystal, died later that night in Delray Medical Center. An autopsy revealed she suffered external trauma, Miller said. He would not elaborate. The Medical Examiner's Office had not determined the cause of her death.

Nelson Camacho clung to life Friday, also in Delray Medical Center, but died at 4:20 p.m., Miller said.

"They were strong kids, fighters. They were the greatest kids," said Ivania Carter Fernandez, the children's aunt and Carter's sister.

By late Friday afternoon, investigators classified the fire as arson. They said they found burned gasoline cans in various parts of the house and juice and Clorox gallons filled with a tan liquid that smelled like gas. A similar-smelling fluid had apparently been poured on Camacho's clothes and around the house, officials said.

Some of the containers were made into Molotov cocktails, Miller said.

"Very unusual for them to be inside of a residence," said Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue arson investigator Thomas Fucci. "Definitely suspicious."

The fire also damaged an attached efficiency suite, Fucci said.

Camacho was arrested in 2004 on a charge of domestic violence battery, according to state records. The charge was dropped.

Neighbors watched in disbelief as investigators sifted through the rubble of the home, 904 Fairview St., west of Lake Worth.
Camacho owned his own company, Adjustable Comfort, which repairs adjustable beds.

"He was a good friend to my son. They went to the movies and out for pizza," Melanie Mendez said about Camacho.

The children always seemed happy, said Elizabeth Renteria, who lives across from the home. She said she always saw them riding bikes. "They played in the street," she said.

Still, Fernandez said Camacho cared only about himself and about hurting her sister.

"She's devastated," Fernandez said of her sister. "She's always been a strong person. But she lost her kids. They took her life away."
Throughout the day, mourners stopped by the gutted house but declined to talk to reporters. A charred holiday wreath and a scorched Christmas tree were the only visible remnants of Christmas.

The children were students at Diamond View Elementary in Greenacres, where Nelson was in the fifth grade and Crystal was in the third.

"They were wonderful students, nice kids and well liked," Principal Jan Starr said.

He said Nelson was on the safety patrol. Neighbors described Crystal as a gifted and avid reader. A white Chevrolet truck in the driveway to the house boasted an honor roll bumper sticker from the school.

Even with holiday treats on the schedule and students on the last day of school before their winter break, classmates began to plan what they might do in honor of Nelson and Crystal. They will finish those ideas when they return in January, the principal said.

"We started the process. It's a slow process and the holidays will be a healing time and may lessen the grief a bit," Starr said. "We will continue to face it when we come back."

Staff Researcher William Lucey contributed to this report.

Erika Slife can be reached at eslife@sun-sentinel.com or at 561-243-6690.


http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-12-23/news/0612230095_1_fire-children-molotov-cocktails

Funeral recalls happy times


No mention of the tragic deaths of two siblings in fire


December 30, 2006|By Erika Slife Staff writer
Jennie Carter has one wish.

She hopes those who knew her children, Crystal and Nelson, will remember the last memories of them, and not the brutal way they died.

As the children were buried Friday, before more than 500 mourners, there was no mention of the Dec. 21 house fire in which 8-year-old Crystal and 10-year-old Nelson died. Nor was there talk of their father, Tony Camacho, the man who authorities say set the fire and died alongside them in the blaze.

Instead, there were memories of Crystal's smile, her warmth, her hugs. Nelson was remembered for his serenity, protectiveness and respect.

"I did not know so many people cared about my kids," said their mother, dressed in pink and white and wearing a pink and blue ribbon in honor of her children. "Just knowing the kids touched their lives in that way makes me so proud. I want them to remember my kids the way they saw them last."

Friends and family gathered at Palms West Funeral Home in Royal Palm Beach, where pictures of the children as babies and kids were displayed in the chapel and anteroom. Both caskets were open for viewing.

Crystal, who loved the color pink, reading and her dolls, was dressed in a pink-and-white gown. A pink tiara was perched on her head. Nelson was buried in a suit, clutching a remote-control race car. Pictures of each other and their mother were in the caskets.
"They used to have so much fun together," said Delvin Carter, their grandfather.

As people paid their respects -- a hand on a back, a whisper in the ear, a strong hug -- reality of what happened was all too clear. Three Palm Beach County sheriff's cruisers were in the parking lot to make sure everyone kept the peace. At least one member of the Camacho family signed the guest book.

Law enforcement officials believe Tony Camacho started the fire in his house west of Lake Worth last week in retaliation against Carter, his ex-wife, who this month won custody of Crystal and Nelson. She also was awarded the house.

Camacho died the night of the fire, and Nelson died the next day, both of smoke inhalation, according to the medical examiner. How Crystal died has not been determined. But an autopsy showed she had been stabbed, once so deep it broke her spine.

"It's really hard to find comfort in a situation like this," Pastor Daniel Casanova said. "Only God can give us peace."

The shock of what happened had not worn off for those who knew the family.

Teachers at Diamond View Elementary, where Nelson was in the fifth grade and Crystal was in the third, remembered smart and respectful students.

"He was a great friend," said JoAnn Haber, who was Nelson's teacher. But she said Nelson did show signs of a stressful home life.
"He wanted his family together. That's what the children told me," Haber said.

Sheila Sherman, who was Crystal's teacher when she was in the second grade, fought back tears recalling memories of her favorite student.

"She was very sweet, very loving," Sherman said. "Every day she walked out of the school with her arm around me. She was just very caring."

The children were buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park in West Palm Beach. As the caskets were lowered, Jennie Carter released two doves into the sky.

And she broke down and sobbed.

Erika Slife can be reached at eslife@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6690.



http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-12-30/news/0612300077_1_nelson-crystal-fire

Palm Beach County looks to combat domestic violence


By Marisa Gottesman

When Jennie Carter ended a rocky relationship with her husband, even that wasn't enough to protect her two children, Nelson and Crystal.

In 2006, her ex-husband set fire to their home, in which he died and which ended up also killing their children, Nelson, 10, and Crystal, 8, extinguishing the children's voices forever.

"My children were murdered by my ex-husband," Carter told a packed auditorium of people wearing purple, the color of domestic violence awareness. "I miss my children dearly every single day."

Monday in West Palm Beach, Carter, wearing a T-shirt with her children's faces on it, spoke on behalf of her kids to a room filled with Palm Beach County officials, domestic violence survivors and folks fighting to stop domestic violence from happening in the first place.

"Every single one of us here has a duty," Carter said. "We need to stop seeing children murdered."

In 2013, there were 5,537 domestic violence crimes reported in Palm Beach County. Out of those reports, 15 were homicides and six of those were children, according to county officials.

This year, the reports are still being tabulated. But State Attorney Dave Aronberg said the number of homicides resulting from domestic violence has decreased to seven.

"Seven is still seven too many," he said.

In order to fight the number of domestic abuse cases that happen countywide, event organizers put the focus on helping children living in violent homes.

The theme of the event was named "Through the Eyes of a Child," which helped kicked off October "Domestic Violence Awareness Month."

"We need to start with our kids," said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. "At the Sheriff's Office we are going to do everything we can to get to our kids and teach them the right things. It's going to help keep them out of jail or buried."

Bradshaw said that kids who are exposed to violence in the home are more likely to become abusers themselves.

Winding up in jail isn't the only impact that witnessing domestic violence can have on children.

Lisa Williams-Taylor, a spokeswoman for Children Services Council, said domestic violence can affect infants and toddlers. She said the constant fear that kids living in an abusive environment feel can alter their brain chemistry, change their behavior and cause an increase of stress, anxiety and depression.

Palm Beach County's Legal Aid Society officials say the number of domestic abuse survivors they help start new, safe lives is on the rise.

Also, society Executive Director Bob Bertisch said one in four women and one in seven men in the country is a survivor of domestic violence.

"We are inundated with survivors of domestic violence coming in for help," he said. "If we keep going the way we are going, we will have 20 percent more survivors than last year."



http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-palm-domestic-violence-forum-20141006-story.html