Man, Woman Killed In Suspected Murder-Suicide In Huntington Beach
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) – An elderly man and woman were shot to death Friday morning in a possible murder-suicide in Huntington Beach, authorities said.
At 8:07 a.m., Huntington Beach police responded to reports of gunshots in the 4100 block of Aladdin Drive, near the Pacific Coast Highway.
Officers arrived to find a man and woman with gunshot wounds. The man died at the scene, while the woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she also died. Their names were not released.
KCAL9's Greg Mills reported that the man is believed to about 79 years of age, had some kind of longstanding feud with the victim, a realtor in her 50s.
He also spoke to neighbors who heard the shots.
"All of a sudden I heard pop, pop, pop, pop," said caregiver Gloria Espaeero who was working in a nearby condo.
Neighbor Gary Jasco was shocked about the crime.
"I saw all the police cars. And then when people told me who was involved, I was even more [shocked]" he said.
The victim's co-worker, Leo Betancourt, had no idea his friend was involved in a tumultuous relationship with a neighbor.
"I thought wow. This was recurring over here? I didn't realize there was this tension going on between these two."
By Friday evening, KCAL9's Stacey Butler said the suspect and the victim were both identified.
He was 78-year-old Mike Busemburg; she was his next-door neighbor, Liz Noriega.
Clara Lincoln, a friend of Busemburg's for 40 years, said she recently noticed a change in him.
"A few days ago. I did not see this type of violent end that would come but I was concerned about the change in his behavior," said Lincoln.
Neighbors told Butler that Noriega was well-liked and often organized get-togethers for the community.
"She did a lot for the community," says Jasco, "she sold condos here and stayed friendly. She was just nice."
The last time Jasco saw Busemburg he said the conversation was brief.
"I told him I was taking care of my sick wife," Jasco said, "and he said 'That's why I'm not married.'"
Busemburg's sister told reporters that her brother probably ventured out today for the first time in weeks. He had recently had two colon surgeries and was not allowed to take pain medications for medical reasons.
