Years of dispute between couple preceded slaying of 2 Santa Rosa children, suicide

A tumultuous relationship and six years of court battles over child support and custody were part of the backdrop leading up to the slaying of two young children in Santa Rosa over the weekend and the suicide of their father.

Court records show that Connie Rodrigues, 34, and her estranged husband, Alvaro Botelho da Camara, 40, who is believed to have killed his 6-year-old daughter Juliana and 19-month-old son Julian before taking his own life, had been at odds for most of their seven-and-a-half-year marriage.

Autopsies of the two children began Wednesday but were not completed, said Santa Rosa Police Lt. Mike Lazzarini, who is overseeing the investigation into the deaths. Results are expected to be released today, Lazzarini said.

Rodrigues' and Botelho da Camara's last court date in their ongoing custody battle and divorce proceeding was June 14, five days before the three bodies were found Monday morning by Sonoma County sheriff's deputies.

No ruling on custody was made then. Botelho da Camara, a native of the Azores in Portugal, was aided by an interpreter in court. The couple were scheduled to appear again July 5 in Sonoma County Superior Court, according to court records.

Rodrigues and Botelho da Camara married in October 2009. Just over nine months later, Juliana was born on July 27, 2010. But within a year Rodrigues had filed for child support, and the court required Botelho da Camara to pay $150 a month. There was no legal separation at the time.

Rodrigues filed for divorce in May 2013, citing irreconcilable differences. While divorce proceedings were underway the couple's second child was born Nov. 3, 2015. Records show the divorce proceedings were dismissed in July 2016, after the two stopped attending scheduled court appearances. But disputes over child support continued. In April 2016, a $78,000 bench warrant was issued against Botelho da Camara for failure to pay monthly maintenance. The warrant was set aside that July after the California Department of Child Support Service began docking the now $300-a-month support payments from his wages, records show.

In court documents for the divorce proceedings Botelho da Camara claimed to make $24 an hour as a union painter.

Rodrigues had filed for divorce and full custody of the children Feb. 27. Two weeks later, Botelho da Camara requested joint custody, which was temporarily granted March 10.

While the two shared custody, Botelho da Camara was arrested for driving drunk May 2. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI May 25, his only conviction in Sonoma County. Less than three weeks later, the couple had what turned out to be their final court appearance.

The couple called law enforcement on each other numerous times in the past two months. June 16, Santa Rosa police responded to a call by Rodrigues who said Botelho da Camara was “irate and going nuts” while their 6-year-old daughter was spending the night with him. Officers visited Botelho da Camara that night and spoke with him, and reported the child was fine.

Wednesday, Rodrigues said she wasn't ready to discuss the details about her custody issues with her children's father or her attempts to seek help. She had released a statement Tuesday saying she sought help on numerous occasions to protect her children from the danger they faced in their father's care.

Police officials said they have not been able to find any documentation of “any time there was a hint of violence,” said Lazzarini. “In our encounters both (Rodrigues and Botelho da Camara) were upset and angry but there was never any mention of threats.”

Wednesday night, Rodrigues sat on the street outside her home where people had scrawled messages in colored chalk. The phrases hinted at family jokes - “everything is better with glitter” - and family tenderness - “We will always love my JuJu Jelly bean.”

About two dozen people gathered with Rodrigues, who said she organized the vigil to demonstrate the support and love of her family and community. A chain link fence in front of the family home outside city limits of southwest Santa Rosa had been turned into a wall of blooms with stems woven into the wire.

“Creating this beautiful scene for you to see, this is what we want to represent,” Rodrigues said to a Press Democrat reporter. “We're strong together and we will make a difference.”

Staff Writer Julie Johnson contributed to this report.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim. You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.