Corona, CA: Woman sought restraining order against ex-boyfriend before slaying

A Riverside man accused of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend and their two young children had warned that the family would be "laid to rest" if the woman rejected his marriage proposal, according to a restraining order filed just days before the deaths.

Laura Reveriano, 25, said she called police after her ex, Selvin Chajon Rodriguez, 23, stole her car keys and cellphone the day she turned down his proposal, according to papers filed last week in Riverside County Superior Court.

Rodriguez broke a window in the house, sending glass flying onto her son, who had been sleeping near the window, she wrote in the request for a domestic violence restraining order. The glass reportedly cut her son's chest.

Rodriguez then called Reveriano repeatedly and sent her a constant stream of threatening text messages, she wrote. He told Reveriano that he would "put a knife to [her] waist" and would take the children with or without her, Reveriano wrote.

"Selvin called and told me he would follow me to the end of the earth and he would kill the kids if they are not with him and there would be nowhere I could hide," Reveriano wrote.

A Riverside County judge granted the temporary restraining order Aug. 28, saying Rodriguez had to stay at least 100 yards away from Reveriano and her children and could not contact them, according to court papers. A judge set hearings for child custody and establishing a permanent restraining order for later in September.

Two days later, the temporary restraining order did little good.

Early Thursday, Reveriano, 25, and her children, Selvin Chajon, 4, and Emily Chajon, 1, were found stabbed to death in her home on a quiet cul-de-sac in west Riverside.

Rodriguez, 23, of Riverside, was found minutes later, covered in blood, walking along the 91 Freeway and carrying a knife, police said. When police arrived, Rodriguez ran and was shot by a Corona police officer. He remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, officials said.

As of Tuesday, the Riverside County district attorney's office had not filed charges, said John Hall, a spokesman for the office.

Riverside Police Lt. Guy Toussaint said although the temporary restraining order had been granted, it had not been served on Rodriguez, so police weren't involved at that point.

"It doesn't mean that the restraining order isn't valid from a judge, but it does mean that we can't act on it until he's been served," Toussaint said.

Even still, he said, the restraining order might not have been enough to save Reveriano.

"We feel terrible that this incident took place.... But even had that restraining order been in place, it might not have stopped this guy from doing the evil thing that he did," Toussaint said.