An Orange County man has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in prison for stabbing his girlfriend to death and killing their two young sons.
Shazer Fernando Limas of Orange was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder in December.
More than a decade ago, Limas stabbed and killed Arlet Hernandez Contreras, his 31-year-old girlfriend. He then killed their 16-month-old son, Fernando, and their 2-month-old, Emanuel.
Arlet’s body was found dumped in a gutter where it was discovered she was stabbed 48 times. The bodies of the two children have never been found.
On April 12, 2012, Contreras brought their two sons to Limas’ apartment in Orange. An argument broke out between the two and Contreras left with their children after police were called. But officials say she returned later that day with their children.
At some point over the next two days, Limas would eventually kill both his girlfriend and their children.
Investigators say he stored all three bodies in a balcony closet at his apartment where they sat rotting for ten days. All the while, Limas continued to go out to nightclubs, rent limousines and have friends come over to visit, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
He used bleach to clean his carpets and rearranged furniture to cover the blood stains, the DA’s Office said.
He also apparently got a new girlfriend, whom he lied to about his injured hands, blaming them on a fight he got into while out with friends.
More than a week after he killed his ex and their children, Limas loaded up their bodies into a U-Haul that was rented under someone else’s name. He then dumped Arlet’s body in an industrial area in Los Angeles County. He then drove that same truck more than 100 miles away from where he dumped her body. Investigators believe the bodies of his children were disposed of during that time.
Arlet’s body was found the next day while Limas broke his lease and moved out of his apartment. Property managers contacted police after discovering a bloody crime scene and strange odors inside the apartment.
Authorities were eventually able to track him down, which led to a high-speed pursuit on the 405 and 5 freeways before he was ultimately taken into custody. His dead girlfriend’s cell phone was with him inside the vehicle during his arrest.
Limas was convicted on Dec. 14, 2022 on what would’ve been his son Fernando’s 12th birthday, according to the DA’s’ Office.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the murder of Contreras and her two young children senseless and said Limas has still refused to take responsibility for their deaths.
“A young mother and her two young sons deserved so much more than to be left to rot in a closet and discarded like trash by the very person who was supposed to protect them,” said Spitzer.
The DA added that, even following his conviction and sentencing, Limas has refused to disclose the location where the bodies of his children were left.
“These innocent babies were completely defenseless victims who were subjected to an unspeakable amount of callousness and violence and the defendant will be forever haunted by the cries of his own children as he murdered them,” Spitzer said.
Limas, who is 42 years old now, will serve three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
