Casefile True Crime - Case 103: The Gonzales Family

Episode Date: December 15, 2018

On 10 July 2001, New South Wales police received a frantic phone call from 21-year-old Sef Gonzales. He’d just returned home to discover that his mother Loiva, father Teddy, and younger sister Clodine had been the victims of a brutal murder.  --- Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched and written by Gemma Harris Additional writing and editing by Milly Raso and Elsha McGill  For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-103-the-gonzales-family

Have you ever tried BBQ on BBQ? Picture this. Freshly prepared crispy seasoned chicken that's tossed in a smoky barbecue glaze and topped with a creamy barbecue sauce. Can't picture it? Well you can try it now at Tim's. Get our new BBQ crispy chicken loaded bowls and wraps for a limited time. Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. In mid-2004 Australian real estate group LJ Hooker posted a for sale sign on the front lawn of a vacant address in North Ride, a cosmopolitan suburb in northwestern Sydney. The modern two-story home had been constructed four years prior at Sandy Brick veneer as pristine as the day it was built. Its windowed facade overlooked the leafy residential strip of Collins Street, a small quiet thoroughfare lined with similar medium sized family homes. The four bedroom three bathroom property was spacious though homely and boasted a double garage with an adjoining carport. A pathway led from the smooth concrete driveway to the front door, framing the manicured lawn. The entrance, foyer and hallway granted access to a study, laundry, lounge, dining area and kitchen, which overlooked a small grassy courtyard framed by a sunlit garden bed. A curved wooden staircase led to the upper floor where the four bedrooms were located, including a master with ensuite.

The property presented ample opportunity for a young family wishing to capitalise on the superb location. North Ride is nestled on the banks of Langcoe River and enclosed coastal inlet that joins Parramatta River to form an arm of the iconic Sydney Harbour. Only 15 kilometres from Sydney's central business district, North Ride is popular with professionals and families alike, attracted by the strong community spirit and abundance of schools, parklands, transport services and shopping districts. The stately Collins Street property caught the eye of the Lynn family, Taiwanese immigrants looking to settle in the area. The lins were shown through the house by LJ Hooker real estate agents on three separate occasions. Each time they admired the freshly painted green coloured walls, glossy floor tiles and warm natural light pouring in from the floor to ceiling windows. The vacant property had been on the market for three years, the lack of interest leading the estate's trustee to periodically lower the asking price in the hopes the declining offer would tempt a buyer. When the Lynn family expressed interest in the Collins Street House in 2004, they offered $800,000 for the property, a significant bargain as many homes just like it in the area sold for over a million. Their real estate purchase contract was quickly drafted and signed, with the new homeowners handing over an $80,000 deposit, excited for their promising future in North Ride.

A sold sticker was firmly planted on the sale sign out the front of the Collins Street property, prompting local news outlets to report on the controversial purchase. Upon reading a local newspaper, the Lynn family were horrified to learn of the events that had once taken place in their new home. Having never been informed by real estate agents of the Collins Street address's shocking history, the lins felt deceived and demanded to be released from their purchase contract. LJ Hooker initially refused their request, but increasing public pressure led them to buckle. A settlement was reached wherein the Lynn family were lawfully released from the contract and refunded their full deposit. The LJ Hooker real estate agents involved in the transaction maintained they had done nothing wrong in their conduct of selling the North Ride property, but the New South Wales Office of Fair Trading started investigating the matter. In December 2004, the New South Wales Fair Trading Minister ruled that the agents had breached both the property stock and the Business Agents Act and the Fair Trading Act by not acting honestly, fairly or professionally. LJ Hooker were fined $20,900 for their misconduct, the first time such a penalty had been imposed in the state.

At the time, no laws existed in New South Wales that compelled real estate agents to disclose whether a crime or death had taken place in any purchasable property. As a result of the scandal, a new state law was established requiring real estate agents to disclose the history of a property to buyers prior to its sale. The next time a for sale sign was placed out front of the Collins Street property in 2005 and carried a new detail. In small print at the bottom of the sign were the words, this is the former home of the Gonzales family. The city of Barghio The Filipino city of Barghio lies 250km north of the country's capital, Manila. It was here, in the mountain resort city nicknamed the City of Pines, where Teodoro was born in 1954, the fourth child of the close-knit Gonzales family. Fondly nicknamed Teddy, the youngest of the Gonzales siblings exhibited a strong work ethic, continuously achieving and setting new goals for himself.

As he grew older, Teddy showed a proclivity for academics, excelling at political science and economics. Upon acceptance into university, he studied law, having his scholarly efforts validated upon passing the bar exam. In 1977, Teddy met fellow university student, 18-year-old Mary Clara Datus, who was known to friends and family by her middle name, Loiva. The oldest of six children, Loiva was shy and soft-spoken, a delicate and poised woman. Theirs was a mutual, wistful romance, and Teddy and Loiva were married within months of their first encounter. Overt public displays of affection were frowned upon in their conservative culture, so the couple made do by constantly holding hands and affectionate habit they maintained long into their marriage. It was a respectful, devoted marriage, with the husband and wife treating each other as equals. In 1980, the couple welcomed their first child, a son they named Seth.

The origin of the unique name would remain a curious mystery, with Teddy promising to gift the story behind his son's namesake on Seth's 21st birthday. In 1983, the Gonzaleses welcomed their second child, a daughter named Claudine. Known for his idealism and determination, Teddy Gonzales worked hard to provide a good life for his family, ensuring they would never have to endure the burdens of financial struggle he faced during his own upbringing. After excelling at university, Teddy worked in real estate before moving on to property development. Assisted by Loiva, the husband and wife duo also ran a local video shop and pharmacy. In 1989, Teddy achieved his greatest work endeavor to date, building and opening an impressive four-story, 40-room hotel in the Bargo area. Boasting a restaurant and music lounge, the Queen Victoria Hotel was a roaring success and a source of great pride for the industrious Teddy.

His family resided in the hotel itself, making the Queen Victoria more than just a business venture, but also their home. In 1990, the Lausanne earthquake devastated the Philippines, producing a 125-kilometer-long ground rupture that claimed to the lives of 1,600 people and leveled entire cities, including Bargo. The Queen Victoria Hotel collapsed, but not before the Gonzales family managed to flee the building, or so they thought. Upon reaching safety, a horrifying realization dawned. 9-year-old Seth had not made it out. Teddy rushed into the rubble and began crawling on his hands and knees to locate his son. To the father's relief, he found Seth alive and promptly pulled him to safety. With their hotel structurally and financially in ruin, the Gonzales family made the decision to relocate to an area where such a disaster was unlikely to happen again. Several members of their extended family had since resettled in Australia, and during visits, Loiva found Sydney particularly appealing.

It was soon decided the Australian state of New South Wales was to become the new home for the Gonzales family. Life in Australia was one of progress and success for the Gonzales family. Teddy studied to gain the relevant qualifications needed to practice law in the country, and after graduation, he opened his own law firm, T. Gonzales & Associates, where he focused on helping Filipino nationals prepare their immigration documents. Loiva worked alongside him as the office manager, taking care of the company's administrative duties. By late 1999, business was thriving. Teddy and Loiva purchased a block of land on Collins Street in the middle-class neighbourhood of North Ride, where they built their dream family home. The two Gonzales children had an ideal upbringing in Australia, with the success of their parents providing the siblings with an abundance of opportunities and financial stability.

Elders Sef was the quieter and more academically inclined, showing great promise from a young age, with many anticipating the straight-A student would one day become a doctor or lawyer. Despite his academic achievements, Sef's true passion was music. Considered quite the singer, Sef held grandiose dreams of fronting his own mainstream R&B hip-hop band. These lofty ambitions were far too unconventional for his down-to-earth career-orientated parents, so Sef began pursuing professions more worthy of their approval. Music remained a major interest of Sef's, but was relegated to a side hobby. He joined the hip-hop boy band Definite Vibes, who toured nightclubs and hosted dance parties throughout Sydney. Although their initial performances were met with mixed reviews, with criticism centred on the group's awkward stage presence, their parties were a financial success. The combined talents of Definite Vibes appeared lucrative, with Sef boasting of a $40,000 recording contract offer from a major music company.

The mild fame fostered Sef's dating life, and even garnered him an obsessive fan named Daisy Diaz. Daisy created and maintained a webpage titled Daisy's Dedication Page to Sefi, with an introduction that read, Hi, in case you stumbled into here by accident, I'm Daisy Diaz, and I wrote this page for my best friend, Sef. Remember that he's a sweetie and a true friend, besides being caring, trustworthy, cute, adorable, kind, understanding, intelligent, and can sing in a way that makes any girl's heart melt. And if you mess with him, you mess with me. Littered with rambling, adoring posts about Sef, Daisy's site also featured romantic song lyrics she dedicated to him, along with a candid collection of photographs of her beloved. One showed Sef with microphone in hand performing on stage with Definite Vibes, while in another, a smug Sef lay across the laps of several female models. An intimate photo of Sef posing shirtless for a professional shoot was captioned, Steam, Steam, Babyface.

In one post, Daisy wrote, Every time I close my eyes I thank the Lord that I got you babe, and you got me too. Some people think there's no such thing as a dream decent guy, while in my eyes you prove them wrong. Sefie, if you ever stopped being my friend, I would be so incomplete. Sef's friends and acquaintances also knew of his accomplishments in kickboxing, modelling, and personal training. Nevertheless, academic study remained a primary focus for Sef. After initially pursuing tertiary studies in medicine, Sef determined the field was not for him, and instead began following in his father's footsteps. He enrolled in a law degree at Macquarie University, which was much better suited to the 20 year old, as his end of semester report cards indicated he was excelling in the course. Meanwhile, Sef worked part time at his father's law firm, where he provided paralegal and IT assistants around the office.

Proud of their son's efforts, Teddy and Loiva rewarded him with a Green Ford Festiva, with the personalised number plate, SefG80. The vehicle became their son's pride and joy. Although academically overshadowed by her older brother, Claudine Gonzales also did well at her studies. Unlike reserved and studious Sef, her strengths arose from her outgoing and affable personality. Long drives always went by quickly when the animated and talkative Claudine was in the car. With a talent for both athletics and cooking, and hopes to one day become a teacher, the high school student had many opportunities ahead of her, but still had plenty of time to determine her path in life. The high expectations of their parents was a source of rivalry between the Gonzales siblings, and the pair were not immune to typical sibling arguments. But they were never malicious enough to break the long standing bond they shared since childhood, with Sef constantly maintaining his role as Claudine's protective older brother.

Sef and Claudine's lives were comfortable, albeit heavily moderated by their strict devout Catholic parents. When Claudine started a relationship with 19 year old Chris, the firm grip of her parents tightened. Strong willed and independent, Claudine pushed back, resorting to sneaking out of the family house to see her bow. Teddy and Loiva were vocal in their disapproval of the relationship, regarding Chris as a bad influence. Heated words were once exchanged between all parties, making tensions abundantly clear. Concerned that their daughter's social life was interfering with her studies, Teddy and Loiva sent Claudine to live with a relative in Melbourne, where she would finish her final year of high school without distraction. Claudine maintained contact with her Sydney based boyfriend via phone, causing her older brother to step in. Sef sent Chris veiled threats, implying he was in a criminal gang, and warning him to stay away from his sister.

Although it was all talk, Sef's intimidating message was heard loud and clear, and Chris ended his relationship with Claudine soon after. Although stern and rigid with their children, there was little doubt Teddy and Loiva loved Sef and Claudine. The parents had plans to sell their Collins Street address in the future, using part of the payout to buy both of their children a place of their own. By July 2001, each member of the Gonzales family was working towards their own goals. Teddy was mentoring his son at his law office, anticipating Sef would one day take his place as the head of the business. Loiva was planning her upcoming wedding anniversary, where she and Teddy would renew their vows. Claudine was visiting home from Melbourne for the school holidays, excited about celebrating her upcoming 18th birthday. The morning of Tuesday, July 10, 2001, started typically for the Gonzales family.

Teddy and Loiva rose early and left for work in separate cars. Sef headed off to Macquarie University, where he'd spend most of the morning, before commencing his part-time job at the family legal office. Later that evening, he had made plans to catch up with a friend. Claudine remained home alone with plans to spend the day studying, as she was scheduled to return to Melbourne in two days' time to resume her schooling. Later that same day, Loiva's sister, 35-year-old Emily Luna, finished work at her corporate office in Sydney's North and went to pick up her 8-year-old son from daycare. Given she was only a short drive from Loiva's place, Emily decided to pop by for a chat. It was nearing 6pm when Emily began navigating North Ride's dense suburbia towards Collins Street. When Emily pulled up to the Gonzales property, she was surprised that no one appeared to be home.

The garage door was down and to the windows of the house were dark. Emily thought this strange, as her sister was typically home from work by 6. The green Ford Festiva belonging to Emily's nephew was parked in the carport, yet the Gonzales property sat in uncharacteristic, darkened silence. When something quickly swept by one of the downstairs windows, Emily presumed someone was home after all. It had been a wet winter's day and Emily was thankful the drizzling rain had stopped long enough to allow her and her son to get out of their car without needing an umbrella. They approached the entrance, noticing a faint light emanating from a frosted window alongside the front door that appeared to be coming from the kitchen at the rear of the property. Emily was certain now that someone was in the house, but after ringing the doorbell multiple times, there was no answer and nothing stirred within. Her sister owned six small dogs that always barked excitedly when someone was at the door, but the house remained eerily silent.

Peering through the frosted window by the door, Emily was immediately startled by an upright figure standing on the other side, wearing a long coat and baseball cap. She thought she saw the figure move slightly, but couldn't be certain in the dim light. Alarmed, Emily remarked, I thought there was a man. Her young son had also noticed the shadowy figure, but quickly dismissed his mother's concern, explaining it was just the coat stand in the foyer with a jacket and hat hanging off it. Emily headed towards the side of the property to check a rear door. She got as far as the carport before an unsettling gut feeling compelled her not to go any further. Deciding she'd just phoned her sister later, Emily turned around, returned to her car with her son, and drove away from Collins Street. Throughout the night, Emily called the Gonzalez home phone multiple times, but was met with a busy signal on each occasion.

At 8.45pm that night, Seth Gonzalez and his best friend Sam dined at the Planet Hollywood restaurant on the popular main strip of George Street in Sydney. Picking hesitantly at the cheeseburger he'd ordered, Seth was reluctant to eat, telling Sam his mother had recently contracted food poisoning whilst dining out at a restaurant. During their dinner, Sam received a phone call from his younger sister Michelle, who was friends with Seth's sister, Claudine. Michelle was seeking an explanation from Seth. She'd been attempting to get in touch with Claudine all night, but her mobile phone was going unanswered, and the Gonzalez home phone line was busy. Using his mobile, Seth tried calling his family's home phone, but was met with the busy signal. He suggested someone might have been using the dial-up internet, which prevented incoming calls from connecting through. After their dinner, Sam and Seth went next door into the Galaxy World arcade, where they played video games before calling at a night at around 11pm. Seth dropped Sam home and drove the four blocks back to his family's house on Collins Street.

At 11.48pm, a New South Wales ambulance service operator received a triple zero phone call from a young male located in the North Ride area. Frantik and shaken, the caller struggled to get the words out. His parents had been shot and were bleeding on the floor. Minutes later, Collins Street resident John Atamian was abruptly awoken by a loud thumping sound on the exterior wall of his bedroom. Someone yelled frantically, help, help, John, where are you? John recognized the distressed voice as that of his 20-year-old next door neighbor, Seth Gonzalez. Seth screamed, my parents, my family, have all been killed. Across the street, Shane Hanley was watching television when he overheard the frantic cries from outside and went to check what was going on. He was met by Seth Gonzalez sobbing hysterically.

Neighbors Shane and John were able to decipher some of the young man's barely coherent blabbering, hearing something about Seth's family being shot dead. All of them gone. John raced off the phone in ambulance as Seth anxiously paced Collins Street before collapsing in an emotional heap on his family's driveway. Shane attempted to comfort the young man, but within seconds, Seth abruptly leapt up, explaining that he knew how to perform CPR and rushed into his home. Shane followed Seth into the house where 46-year-old Teddy Gonzalez was laying on a white rug by the front door. The stout, older man lay unmoving on his back in a pool of blood. Seth rushed over and wailed by his father's body, but Teddy didn't respond. The gaping wound in his chest clearly fatal. Shane attempted to pull Seth away, but the young man wrestled out of his grip and ran into another room. Following behind Seth, Shane entered the combined lounge and dining area where he saw a figure sprawled on the floor by a glass coffee table.

It was the petite body of 43-year-old Loiva Gonzalez. She, too, was unresponsive. Her body riddled with open, bloody wounds. Seth rushed back and forth between his parents, weeping hysterically. Fearful the perpetrators may still be in the house. Shane coked Seth outside, before rushing back to his own house and calling 000. Shane waited on the line until he heard the sound of police sirens approaching. Police and paramedics swiftly descended on Collins Street. Though a immediate entry into the Gonzalez home was halted due to fears the perpetrators may still be inside. Eventually, armed officers escorted a medic into the dimly-lit interior, entering via the garage. They found the bodies of Teddy and Loiva on the ground floor of the address before cautiously heading upstairs, where another grim discovery was made.

The bloodied body of 18-year-old Claudine Gonzalez was found curled in the fetal position inside her bedroom. A red jumper placed over her to cover the savage injuries she had sustained. None of the victims had been shot as initially suspected, but all had been brutally stabbed. In total, Teddy Gonzalez had suffered 12 injuries, a majority of them centralized in his upper body. His lungs and heart had been penetrated, whilst his jugular vein, carotid artery and spine were severed. The spinal injury alone would have partially paralyzed the Teddy. Defensive wounds on his arms and fingers indicated he attempted to fight for his life. Loiva Gonzalez sustained wounds to her face, back, chest, abdomen and groin, along with defensive wounds to her hands and arms.

Her six-centimetre-long laceration across her throat had severed her windpipe, but the lack of active bleeding indicated this deep cut had been injured. Upstairs, Claudine Gonzalez had been bludgeoned with a heavy object, fracturing her skull. Distinctive arc-shaped dents in the wall above her body identified the weapon as likely to have been a baseball bat. Claudine had also been strangled and stabbed, with seven wounds located throughout her body, five to her neck and two to her torso. Established evidence, coupled with the body temperatures of the victims, were used to determine the order and approximate time in which each member of the Gonzalez family was murdered. Claudine Gonzalez was targeted first, with unanswered text messages to a friend leading investigators to presume she was confronted shortly after 4pm. Open school textbooks on the Year 12 students desk indicated she was ambushed while studying and did not anticipate the attack. At 4.50pm, Lover Gonzalez left work with a colleague whom she dropped off at their house before heading to Collins Street.

Arriving home soon after, Lover was confronted by her killer upon entering the living space. Mobile phone records of Teddy Gonzalez showed he left work around 6.20pm, placing two calls home during his drive, both going unanswered. He was immediately struck by his killer upon entering the front door. As the last surviving member of his family, Seth Gonzalez sat hunched on the ground inside the garage of his family home in a heightened emotional state, requesting rosary beads. He stumbled through his recollections of the night to police, explaining that he discovered the bodies of his family members upon returning home from an evening out with a friend. He spotted one or two perpetrators fleeing southward down Collins Street, and after a futile attempt to give chase, Seth rushed back home and performed CPR on his parents before calling emergency services and seeking help from his neighbors. Seth couldn't identify anyone specific who would target his family, but recalled an incident from the night before that police believed may have been connected. The Gonzalez family were driving home together from Claudine's 18th birthday dinner when a road rage incident occurred with another vehicle.

The driver of the other vehicle sped past the Gonzalez's car yelling out, quote, bloody Asians. The possibility the Gonzalez slayings were a racially motivated hate crime was further substantiated by evidence found at the crime scene. A wall hanging in an area by the Gonzalez's kitchen had been torn down and replaced with graffiti scrawled in blue spray paint that read, quote, fuck off Asians, with the letters KKK sprayed nearby. There were also indications that a robbery had taken place, as Teddy's briefcase and Deloiva's handbag had been clearly rummaged through, leaving their contents scattered in disarray. The doors of several wardrobes were left hanging wide open, suggesting someone had hastily looked inside them. The cord to the landline phone had been cut, explaining why the many calls made to the homestead throughout the evening had been met with a busy signal. Loewe's pet dogs were all found unharmed, though restrained or behind closed doors. If a robbery had taken place, it appeared to have been an incompetent one.

The Gonzalez's house was neat and orderly, without the overt signs of mess and carelessness akin to typical robberies. Nothing appeared to be obviously ransacked or missing. Expensive jewellery and electronics had been ignored, as was the $700 cash in Teddy's wallet and the $300 in Loewe's handbag. The wardrobes were open, but their contents were undisturbed. Notably, the blood spatter on the floor underneath Teddy's briefcase and Deloiva's handbag showed the items did not fall to the ground haphazardly mid-attack, but were later emptied and planted there. This was the first clear indication to investigators that the crime scene was not an amateur robbery, but was instead carefully staged to appear like one. Other evidence correlated with this theory. The flywire mesh screening that had once covered the window above the kitchen sink was found discarded outside, having been slashed and ripped off its frame.

Upon first glance, it appeared this window had been the entry point for the perpetrator. However, there were no pry marks on the window frame or latch, implying the frame was not removed with any overt force or sense of urgency. Furthermore, there were no shoe prints found on the kitchen counter inside, which would be expected if the perpetrator climbed in through the window. The estimated timings of each victim's murder was also of great interest to investigators, as it showed the killer had remained inside the Gonzales House for several hours, between 4pm and 7pm. This didn't correspond with expectations of a brash and sudden home invasion, but implied the killer patiently lay in wait as each family member returned home, attacking them one by one with calculated purpose. Adding to the evidence the killer acted methodically was the discovery of fresh water found pulled on the tiles of a bathroom, revealing someone had only recently taken a shower there. This act couldn't have been performed by the victims, as it was determined the shower was taken after their deaths. It was likely the killer had taken the time to rinse off after carrying out the murders, instead of hastily fleeing the scene.

Aside from the baseball bat, the only other weapon used in the crime appeared to have been a knife. A knife block displayed on the kitchen bench had two of its largest and longest knives missing. Forensic experts determined the smaller of the missing knives could have caused the type of wounds inflicted on teddy, loyver and clodine. The murder weapons having been sourced from inside the Gonzales Home stood out as strange and introduced some major red flags in the racially motivated home invasion theory. A home invasion, especially one committed against a specific target, involved a certain level of planning and preparation. Perpetrators would not run the risk of arriving to the scene unarmed. Bloody shoe prints tracked throughout the house did not match the footwear worn by anyone who had since entered the crime scene, including victims, police officers, neighbours and sef Gonzales. Investigators were quick to identify the style of shoe, a laceless UK size 7 human brand running shoe, believed to have been worn by the killer.

Police doorknocked the local area and spoke with neighbours, but no one reported hearing any suspicious noises or signs of an altercation. Potential witness accounts were impeded by the wild winter weather that evening, moderate to heavy rain, rolling thunder and gusts of wind. Police dogs were brought to the scene, but they were unable to pick up a cent. At 3am on July 11, the sole surviving member of the Gonzales family was escorted to a local police station to provide an official written statement. Sef detailed his morning trip into university and his afternoon spent working at his father's law office. It was approaching 5pm when Sef left work to meet up with his friend Sam for their planned catch up. He then received a text message from Sam asking to postpone their meeting until later that evening as he had committed to playing a game of basketball. Sef agreed and decided to go home in the meantime.

During the drive to North Ride, Sef called both his mother's mobile phone and the family house phone, but neither calls were answered. Sef arrived home at around 6pm, with the unanswered calls and overall darkened stillness of the house, leading him to presume no one was home. As he remained sitting in his vehicle waiting for a break in the rainy weather, he received a phone call from Sam. The pair agreed to meet up at 8pm. As a means to fill the two hours before he met with Sam, Sef drove off towards Kingsgrove, a suburb 22km south of North Ride. A friend of his had recently moved there, so Sef thought it would be a good time to visit and check out his new place. Upon arriving to Kingsgrove, Sef didn't have the address, so he drove around aimlessly attempting to find his friend's new house. Realising it was nearing the time he was due to meet up with Sam, Sef gave up on seeing the Kingsgrove house and went to pick up Sam instead.

The pair left Sam's house at around 8.15pm and drove into the city where they dined at Planet Hollywood, then played in the Galaxy World Arcade, leaving shortly after 11pm. CCTV footage retrieved from cameras along George Street confirmed Sef's whereabouts at this time. Sef dropped Sam home and drove onwards towards his house, where he parked his car in the carport. Upon entering the house via a side-access door, he immediately came across his father's body in the foyer, misidentifying the stab wounds in Teddy's chest for bullet holes. Sef called 000 and requested an ambulance before discovering the bodies of his mother and sister. Whilst tending to his sister's wounds, Sef overheard a sound from downstairs, followed by the side gate slamming shut outside. He raced into the garage and pressed the button that opened the roller door.

It slowly creaked upwards and when there was enough space, Sef squeezed through the gap underneath and ran out onto the road. He caught sight of a male figure running away towards a nearby intersection. He thought he glimpsed another man fleeing too, but couldn't be certain that it wasn't just the shadow of the first person. As news of the triple homicide spread, speculation ran rife over who could be responsible for the horrific crime. Rumors circulated about the legitimacy of Teddy's legal business, suggesting the father may have been involved in some shady dealings. There were unconfirmed claims that Sef had ties with a local criminal gang and the killings could be a warning for the 20-year-old. The hate crime theory was heavily hypothesized, with images of the racist graffiti inside the home featured throughout news reports. Suspicions arose that there was more than meets the eye for the seemingly typical upper middle-class family, as members of the public considered whether the slayings were revenge for a personal vendetta.

A look into Teddy Gonzalez's background revealed that during the late 1990s, he had come under the radar of the Department of Immigration for allegedly helping Filipino immigrants lie on documents seeking refugee status in Australia. Teddy's actions were noticed by government officials, and he was subsequently charged with four counts of falsifying documentation. Two of these charges were dropped, and the remaining went to trial, where Teddy was eventually cleared. Nevertheless, Teddy had ruffled the feathers of several clients who accused the immigration lawyer of keeping the money they paid him, despite their visa applications being denied. Earlier in 2001, Teddy was overheard in his office arguing on the phone in his native Filipino language of Tagalog. In an uncharacteristic display of anger, the usually proud and resolute Teddy shouted, fuck you, before slamming down the phone. When a work colleague asked what was wrong, Teddy explained that he was in the process of selling a property to an investor in the Philippines. Dealings had become heated, with the investor threatening to kill his family.

Teddy didn't appear overly rattled by the threat, but soon afterwards he placed a phone call to his father where he cryptically remarked, I have a big family problem I'm dealing with, but I think I can solve it. On July 13, three days after the murders of his father, mother and sister, Seth Gonzalez fronted the media, offering a $100,000 reward for information that would help identify his family's killer. Expressing his overwhelming grief, Seth told reporters, quote, It is difficult to explain the love and ties in my family, but if you were to picture the four corners of the world, in my world, we were the four. The three corners of my world are now gone. My family, friends and myself would like to ask anyone out there to please help us. Later that same day, Seth Gonzalez visited his father's accountant and inquired about accessing his inheritance. Taking into account the Gonzalez's north-right property and its contents, including two vehicles, jewellery, savings, as well as Teddy's commercial properties, the entire Gonzalez estate was valued at $1.5 million.

In addition, Teddy had multiple investment properties in the Philippines, with an estimated value of around $1.3 million. With his parents and sister now deceased, 20-year-old Seth Gonzalez had just become the sole beneficiary of his family's entire multi-million dollar fortune. A joint funeral service was held for Teddy, Lover and Claudine Gonzalez on July 20, 2001 at North Ride's Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Close to 300 mourners gathered to pay their respects to the slain family, including the colleagues and clients of the Gonzalez legal office and Claudine's many school friends. Also present were members of law enforcement, still in the midst of conducting their investigations into finding the family's killer. Eulogies fondly remembered the lives of the father, mother and daughter, whilst grieving friends and family retold their final encounters with the deceased. Never expecting these fleeting moments would become the last time they would see the trio. Seated on the front pew was Seth Gonzalez, surrounded by supporters.

The young man kept his head bowed throughout most of the service, until he was summoned before the crowd to deliver his eulogy. Seth lamented his father as his hero, referencing his childhood terror of being trapped after the Lausanne earthquake, before Teddy bravely rescued him. He expressed sadness at now never knowing the backstory of his unique name. A story Teddy had promised to reveal on Seth's 21st birthday. Seth said, I will never find out the meaning of my name because it was taken away along with my father. That part of me will always be incomplete. At the conclusion of Seth's eulogy, he took a deep breath, and in an act that would be later described by witnesses as bizarre and uncomfortable, he began singing a solo acapella rendition of the R&B ballad One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boys to Men. It was a flawless performance given without a single tear, regarded by listeners as emotionally detached, self-indulgent, and inappropriate given the somber circumstances of the gathering.

Teddy, Loiva and Claudine were buried together on the grounds of Macquarie Park Cemetery. Their memorial plaques declaring their cherished trio would forever live in the hearts and smiles of those they left behind, including Seth. It hadn't just been funeral attendees who had noticed Seth Gonzalez's odd behaviour in the days following the murder of his family. Police were suspicious of Seth from the moment he made the frantic call to triple zero on the late night of July 10, 2001. Sorry? What? Someone's what? What trouble are you in?

What trouble are you in? North ride. And your parents are by saying shot, have they? No. Yeah, we will. We will send in ambulance now. Minutes after midnight on July 11, 2001, first responders raced to Collins Street following alarming reports that a gunman was active in the area. They arrived to the scene, a nondescript homestead belonging to the Filipino-Australian Gonzalez family, where they found a 20-year-old Seth Gonzalez sitting on the floor of the open garage. The young man was in hysterics, imploring paramedics and police officers to enter his house and help his family.

Attending police were quick to notice Seth Gonzalez's odd behaviour at the scene. Although sobbing intensely, Seth's face remained completely dry, not a single tear was shed. He appeared frenzied and panicked, yet his answers to questions were noticeably thought out and rational. He claimed to have performed CPR on both of his parents and later added he had tended to the wounds of his sister with his bare hands. There was bloodstaining on the leg of his jeans, a little on the back sleeve of his jumper, as well as a few spots on his boots. Barely anything given the state of the victims. Seth was quick to offer a dubious explanation, claiming that the rain, at which point was only a drizzle, had washed most of the bloodstaining from his clothing and he had wiped the remainder from his hands onto the damp lawn. An astute police officer noticed some blue coloured staining on the left sleeve of Seth's jumper towards the edge of the cuff.

The colour resembled the spray paint used to graffiti racial obscenities on an interior wall in the Gonzalez house. Later analysis determined this staining on Seth's jumper was indeed a blue paint. A shoebox was found in a wardrobe in Seth's bedroom and according to the label had had originally contained a pair of UK size 7 human brand running shoes. The shoes themselves were missing from Seth's footwear collection, but were an exact match to the bloody footprints tracked through the crime scene by the killer. Seth insisted the shoes had never belonged to him, they had been purchased by his father for a cousin who lived in the Philippines. Knowing a thorough search of his bedroom was underway, Seth confided to a police officer about a pornographic video he had hidden away in a dresser drawer and he appeared very embarrassed by the prospect of investigators finding it. Given the tragic circumstances, the officer felt uncomfortable that Seth's primary concern was about his pornography stash and not the murder of his family. Nearly a week after the murders, Seth Gonzalez was escorted by police to Collins Street after agreeing to participate in a full reenactment of the night of July 10.

Calmly and precisely, Seth retraced and described his movements upon finding the brutalized bodies of his parents and sister. At no time did he indicate reliving these traumatic events was causing him any distress. Of particular interest to investigators was the claims Seth had witnessed the perpetrator fleeing the house and had subsequently given chase. Police tested this theory and determined by the time Seth would have exited the house via the garage and emerged under Collins Street, the killer would have most certainly been long gone and completely out of sight. CCTV footage retrieved from cameras within Sydney's CBD confirmed Seth's alibi on the night of July 10, proving he had dined out and played arcade games with a friend between the hours of 8pm and 11pm. Seth's claims that he was out driving around Kings Grove prior to this meetup could not be verified, nor could his whereabouts between the crucial time frame in which the murders were carried out, sometime between 4pm and 7pm. A client of Teddy Gonzalez's law firm Tile Police, they had stopped by the Collins Street home between 4.10pm and 4.30pm on July 10, around the approximate time Claudine was killed. As this witness dropped some documents into the Gonzalez's letterbox, they recalled seeing a green Ford Festiva parked out the front of the house.

This was not the only witness who saw Seth Gonzalez's vehicle parked at the Collins Street address within the time frame of the murders. Emily Luna, Seth's aunt, had visited the Gonzalez home at approximately 6pm on July 10 and recalled Seth's Ford Festiva was parked in the carport. She believed someone was home at the time as she had spotted movement through a window and noted the kitchen light was on, yet when Emily rang the doorbell several times, there was no answer. Emily's statement wasn't surprising given that Seth's written statement also declared he had stopped by the house around this time. Seth said it had been raining so he remained in the car and had never entered the house before deciding to drive off to Kingsgrove to visit his friend. Yet, Emily Luna provided two crucial details during her interviews that contradicted Seth's statement. Firstly, Emily distinctly remembered it was not raining when she visited the house as she didn't require the use of her umbrella. During further talks with police, Emily also admitted that she did not see Seth sitting in his vehicle at the time.

The two suspected murder weapons, a knife believed to have been sourced from the Gonzalez kitchen and a baseball bat, had not been recovered. According to Seth's close friend Sam, Seth mentioned he kept a baseball bat in the boot of his car as a means of self-protection. When questioned about the bat, Seth said he may have carried one in the past, but he couldn't account for its current whereabouts. Investigators were certain Seth was being deceitful, but it wasn't until they began questioning his friends and extended social group that they uncovered the sheer extent of deception the 20-year-old had cultivated throughout the years. Seth gloated to acquaintances of being a Taekwondo expert who ran his own security company, owned property, and frequently traveled to New York to negotiate elaborate business deals. He also claimed to be the manager of a boy band, a music producer, a successful singer with a record deal, a world champion kickboxer, a lawyer, a personal trainer, and the manager of a modeling agency. In early 2000, Seth broke the news to friends that he had been diagnosed with cancer, later revealing he had beaten the disease and was now in remission. The depth of Seth's deception went far deeper than seemingly harmless arrogant brags to friends and associates.

Music was clearly Seth's greatest passion, yet his R&B group, Definite Vibes, had two staunch critics, his own parents. Teddy and Oliver were vocal about their disapproval of their son's musical ambitions as it had caused everything else in his life to fall by the wayside, including his education. Seth failed to submit assignments or attend exams, his musical priorities having irreversible negative impact on his medical science degree, which he hastily dropped out of. His parents threatened to take away his beloved car if his studies didn't improve, which would strip the 20-year-old of his independence. Teddy and Oliver were pleased when Seth started achieving high results in his new legal studies degree, indicating a positive change in his attitude. However, it was discovered Seth had been falsifying university documents to deceive his parents into thinking he was doing much better than he was. In reality, Seth was failing all four of his subjects. The truth about Seth's academic failure and forgery had only recently been exposed to Teddy and Oliver, their disappointment causing a rift between son and parents.

Adding fuel to this tension was Seth's romantic relationships. He introduced one girlfriend to his mother in the hopes of gaining her approval, but loyver was dismissive, expressing concerns a girlfriend would only be another distraction to Seth's studies. Seth's parents threatened to disinherit him if he continued to see his girlfriend, leading the relationship to come to an end. Seth's temperamental relationship with his parents may have had roots in his upbringing. Although the Gonzales parents were loving, Seth was harshly disciplined when he misbehaved during his childhood. It appeared Seth carried the emotional baggage from his youth into his adult years, which manifested in frequent bedwetting. Loyver had encouraged Seth to seek professional help for this reoccurring issue, but her attempts to assist were futile. The true level of Seth's dishonesty was exposed when a family friend accused him of stealing money from her purse.

Seth didn't deny the allegation, simply saying he was an opportunist. It came as little surprise to Teddy or Loyver when they found out, as they had suspected for some time that Seth was stealing cash from their wallets. After his parents and sister were murdered, Seth was approved a $15,000 payment from the government as part of a victims of crime compensation scheme. However, he didn't use this money to pay for his family's funeral or his own living expenses as it was intended. Instead, he used part of the payout for cosmetic enhancements to his mother's car, which he had taken to driving following her murder. The overwhelming circumstantial evidence was mounting against Seth Gonzales, who stood to gain immense profit from the deaths of his parents. Especially if his sister was removed from the equation. Seth vehemently denied accusations of involvement in the crime, alleging that a hit had been taken out on his family by one of his father's wealthy, influential Filipino business rivals.

Seth believed the killers intentionally spared one family member to serve as the scapegoat, and was living in fear that someone would be coming for him next. It wasn't a completely inconceivable prospect, as a colleague of Teddy's had overheard the immigration lawyer aggressively arguing and swearing on the phone with a Filipino property investor months prior to the murders. According to Teddy, the caller threatened to kill his family. But other than Teddy's word, investigators failed to find any concrete evidence to support this threat was ever made. They identified several business rivals of Teddy's who may have stood to gain marginally from his death. Yet, they lacked motive to order the deaths of Loewe and Claudine, and subsequent investigations ruled them out as suspects. Despite this, the hitman theory arose again in August, when Seth Gonzales handed police a copy of an anonymous email he had received a month after the murders. Written in a mix of English and Tagalog, the email stated a hitman was paid for three murders, and implied Seth had been the intended third target alongside his parents.

The email read, You're supposed to be the third person. They were paid for three. It's a blessing that you were not there. Seth was convinced his life was still in danger, enlisting friends to act as bodyguards. Police later seized Seth's personal computers and found a draft of the threatening email stored on one of them. Seth had written it himself. Seth's aunt, Emily Luna, refused to accept that her baby-faced nephew could be guilty for the violent triple murder, despite recognizing many inconsistencies in his statements and having some awareness that he was not the perfect son. Nevertheless, Emily remained supportive of Seth, even holding his hand as he gave his first interview with police regarding July 10. Emily listened as Seth detailed driving to the Gonzales house at 6pm before departing soon after.

It was his remark that the rain prevented him from getting out of his car that caused Emily's hand to instinctively jerk away from Seth's. She stopped by the house at 6pm and knew without a doubt that it had not been raining, and Seth was not in his car. It was in that moment the haunting realization dawned on Emily. She knew her nephew was lying. Upon accepting the possibility that Seth may be responsible for the brutal murder of her sister, brother-in-law and niece, Emily agreed to discreetly work with investigators against her nephew. A listening device was installed in her car and a plan constructed in which she was to tell Seth she knew he was responsible for the killings and wanted to protect him. But the ploy didn't work. Not only did Seth continually deny having anything to do with the crime, he also told Emily he was so depressed over the matter that he was considering taking his own life. Two months after the murders of Teddy, Lover and Claudine Gonzales, Seth was at a coffee shop when a passer-by complimented him on his clothing. Flattered, Seth struck up a conversation with a man who revealed himself to be a gangster with connections to the police force.

Seth claimed he too was in a gang called the White Dragons Asian. In truth, there was no such gang. Seth made it up. The two build a rapport, forming a friendship over the following weeks. The man was aware of the allegations Seth was facing and in an act of good faith offered his new friend an opportunity. He knew a guy in prison who was dying and who was willing to take the rap for crimes he didn't commit. If Seth wanted to, the terminal prisoner could confess to the Gonzales family murders on Seth's behalf, taking the heat off him completely. In the end, Seth didn't accept the offer, only going so far as providing the gangster with hand-drawn floor plans at the Gonzales home, marked with the location where each member of his family was found. Unbeknownst to Seth, his gangster friend was actually an undercover police officer.

Police promptly compared Seth's handwriting from the map provided to the undercover officer so the racist graffiti on the internal wall of the Gonzales house and found slight similarities between the two. That wasn't the only valuable piece of information Seth had unwittingly provided. On the floor plan, he had also noted the time of death of each family member. Information police had intentionally withheld, as it was a detail only the killer would know. During the surveillance, Seth told the undercover officer, People don't suspect me. It's just Seth with the little baby face. I have a split personality. I can hide what I do. They've got nothing on me. It's all circumstantial stuff. However, as the undercover operation progressed, Seth didn't confess, telling the undercover officer he was not involved in the murders and maintaining his story that a contract killer hired by one of his father's rivals was responsible for the crime.

Seth's personal computer had been confiscated from the crime scene and an examination of its contents revealed a disturbing internet history. In the months leading up to the triple murder, searches were made online for poisons that could be easily disguised within food. An online purchase was made for the seeds of two types of highly lethal plants from a United States supplier, delivery expected in early July. The website of an Australian based seed supplier had also been visited, but their orders were temporarily unavailable. An email had been sent from Seth's computer to this supplier, requesting they make an exception, explaining it was his mother's 60th birthday the following weekend and he wanted to buy the seeds as a present. The email read, She has been looking for those particular seeds ever since she saw them in Florida last year. This email was misleading on two accounts.

Lover Gonzalez was only 43 years old, not 60, and she had not recently travelled to Florida. Seth denied performing the searches, ordering the seeds or sending the email, pinning the actions on his deceased father, claiming Teddy must have been researching the seeds online to ensure he didn't plan anything poisonous in the garden. Unbeknownst to Seth, police had found a vial of clear liquid taped under his desk during an earlier search of his bedroom. Scientific testing revealed the mysterious liquid to be a poisonous substance derived from one of the plants searched for online, highly lethal to anyone who consumed it. Days before her murder, Lover Gonzalez had been admitted to hospital after suffering from intense fever and severe abdominal pains. She suspected the culprit was undercooked food she consumed whilst dining out with her family, as Seth had also complained of feeling unwell after the meal. As such, she was diagnosed with colitis, an inflammation of the bowel associated with food poisoning. Lover received treatment and was discharged from hospital after an overnight stay.

The link between the purchase of the poisonous seeds and Lover's sudden illness was not lost on investigators, who were coming to realise that the deaths of the Gonzalez family may have been months in the planning. The poisons weren't the only troublesome discovery within the internet history of Seth's computer. Frequent visits were also made to the webpage operated by Seth's number one fan, teenager Daisy Diaz, where she boasted about her love for the singer and raved about his outstanding personality, good looks and incredible talents. When investigators questioned Seth about his relationship with Daisy, he revealed she had recently passed away during the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Seth claimed he had flown to New York City with Daisy's mother to attend the funeral. But investigators soon learned the truth. Daisy Diaz didn't exist. Her dedication page to Sethie and all its gushing posts of adoration was created and managed by Seth himself. In September 2001, Seth's relatives were left shaken and distraught when he broke the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

He contacted his aunt Annie to inform her of the grim diagnosis, requesting she sent him $190,000 to pay for life-saving surgery. Annie, who was responsible for managing Teddy's overseas investment properties, was immediately suspicious of her nephew's claims. She refused his monetary request, instead informing the police about her concerns. By this stage, Seth had not yet gained access to his deceased family's multi-million dollar estate and his request for further victim compensation payments had been refused by the government. Seth did manage to amass approximately $88,000 by selling his parents' cars, his mother's jewellery, and his beloved Ford Festiva. In the following month of October, Seth placed the deposit on a $175,000 Lexus SC 430, telling the car dealership he would pay the remaining balance when his inheritance money came through. Seth eventually had to cancel the order for the Lexus as he was unable to come up with the remaining balance. He purchased the more affordable car instead, personalizing the license plate to read TLCS, the initials of the first names of his immediate family.

Since the murders, Seth moved between relatives' homes before he finally settled into a rental apartment on the 11th floor of a secured building in the North Shore suburb of Chatswood. The apartment's rent and bills were financed by his relatives, and Seth furnished it with property taken from his family's Collins Street home. He told relatives police recommended the relocation as a safety proportion, which was entirely untrue. In December, Seth's aunt, Emily Luna, agreed to attend the Gonzales residence to re-enact her version of events from the evening of July 10. Emily had arrived to the house at 6pm, with the impression someone was home. She spotted Seth's Ford Festiva in the carport and noticed it was empty. She had seen what she believed was a figure wearing a baseball cap and coat on the other side of the front door, standing in the foyer. But her young son had convinced her it was just a coat stand.

During the December re-enactment, Emily realized the coat stand in the foyer was actually situated much further back from the front door than she originally thought. Emily was now certain it was a person she saw on the other side of the door that night, five foot, four inches tall, the same height as Seth Gonzales. By January 2002, Seth was made aware that investigators were doubting his alibi for the night of the murders. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that police were now following a line of inquiry around a green hatchback, similar to Seth's Ford Festiva. The undercover officer, still posing as Seth's gangster friend, also intentionally leaked information to Seth that witnesses had cited his empty vehicle at the front of his house on the afternoon of the murders. Seth was oblivious to the fact his phones were bugged and his calls were being monitored and recorded by police. During a phone call to a friend dated January 10, Seth admitted his original alibi on the night of the murders had been a lie, but he had a new one that he was certain would convince police of his innocence, although he admitted he was worried it could, quote, blow up in his face again. After this call, police confronted Seth about his alibi and he decided to come clean.

Seth did not go driving around Kingsgrove looking for his friend's new house on the night of the murders. He had actually visited a sex worker. He wasn't upfront about it initially as he was concerned the act could bring shame upon his religious family, who believed he was a virgin. Seth now claimed that on the evening of the murders, he left his father's legal office just before 4pm. He parked his car at home before walking to a nearby petrol station where he caught a taxi to a brothel located in Chatswood. He left his car at home because he didn't want to risk someone citing it near the brothel. Seth engaged in the services of a sex worker and boasted she tried to refuse his payment because the sex was so good. Afterwards, Seth walked to Chatswood train station where he caught a taxi back home to Collins Street. He got straight into his car and drove to his friend Sam's place for their scheduled 8pm meetup.

As they continued to monitor Seth's phone calls, police were aware that Seth had recently been contacting numerous brothels in the North Shore area. Around the same time, they noticed he was having telecommunications with an unknown male. Officers tracked down this man and paid him a visit to inquire about his relationship with Seth and the purpose of their recent phone calls. The man was a local taxi driver. He revealed Seth had approached him at the taxi rank at Chatswood train station on January 12, 2002, 5 months after the triple murder. Seth offered the taxi driver $50 to write a formal statement confirming that he had picked Seth up on the evening of July 10, 2001 and had dropped him off at a brothel. Seth reassured the taxi driver the request didn't relate to anything serious. When police informed the driver that Seth was implicated in a triple homicide, he immediately retracted his statement, which was just as well as his driving records for the evening of July 10 failed to support Seth's new alibi.

By early April, police had spoken with the sex worker Seth claimed to have been with the evening of July 10, who revealed she had not been working at the brothel that night. Since the slayings, Seth had been harassing the woman, sending her over 100 text messages in an attempt to convince her to say they had been together that night. On May 30, Seth contacted police to report a break-in at his Chatswood apartment. He also told them he had received two threatening emails, one which warned him, quote, Make it easy on yourself. Confess to the police now. Your father deserved to die. Don't talk to reporters. Police found no evidence at the apartment to support Seth's claims that a break-in had occurred. They traced the location where the threatening emails had been sent, determining their origin to have been an internet cafe in Sydney. As there was no CCTV footage inside the cafe, the sender could not be identified.

With media interest heightened around Seth, he offered to speak to journalists for a fee, claiming his safety was at risk and he needed money to hire a bodyguard. When he realized that asking for payment for an interview about his family's slaughter was a bad look, Seth agreed to chat with journalist Cara Lawrence from the Daily Telegraph newspaper for free. During his interview with Lawrence, Seth reiterated his suspicion that his family's killer had been responsible for the break-in at his apartment. He declined to say whether he had given police any specific information about who he suspected was responsible for the murders and subsequent break-in, but concluded, quote, I know that somewhere out there, there is someone who knows something about someone who's afraid to speak out for whatever understandable reasons. I'm sure the police would do whatever they can to assist whoever is brave enough to come forward with information. Cara Lawrence later detailed this interview along with her investigations into the case for her book titled Unmasked, The Gonzales Family Killer. At 8.30pm that night, Seth was found lying in a gutter in Chatswood, a plastic bag was found beside him.

Seth was rushed to hospital where he told doctors he couldn't remember who he was or what year it was. Despite his apparent memory loss, there was no evidence indicating Seth had sustained any head trauma. After he supposedly regained his memory, Seth made a police report alleging that he had been abducted whilst walking down the street. Someone had pulled him into a car, covered his head with a plastic bag and hit him across the head with something resembling a piece of wood. The abductors warned him to withdraw the reward money he had offered to the public for information on his family's killers. They also demanded he stop speaking to the media, otherwise there would be serious consequences for his extended family, especially his grandmother and the leader. Further investigations into this alleged crime came up empty. There was no proof it took place. With Seth specifically singling out threats against his grandmother, police became concerned for Amelida's safety.

Worried Seth would put anyone in harm's way in order to deflect suspicion from himself. On June 13, 2002, police executed a search warrant on Seth's Chatswood apartment and charged him with three counts of murder. As per protocol, Seth's fingerprints were taken and entered into the police database. The database revealed they matched to a previously unidentified fingerprint that was found on an envelope of a letter sent to a food manufacturer on July 2, 2001. The threatening letter claimed the manufacturer's products had been contaminated with deadly poison. The letter stated, three of your products have been poisoned, but now they are on supermarket shelves. This is what you get for treating employees like garbage. Good luck finding infected cans before someone dies. Go to hell. Australian Federal Police entered the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, received similar letters around that time.

Their letters claimed to be from concerned food production employees who had received an anonymous tip-off advising that some of the company's products had been poisoned. Traces of all three letters, along with an online search history for the addresses of all recipients, were found on Seth Gonzalez's laptop. Police believed the letters were residue of Seth's initial plan to poison his family to death, going so far as to fabricating evidence to redirect any suspicion away from himself. Along with murder, Seth was also charged with threatening product contamination. Seth's grandmother, Amelida and Aunt Emily both openly spoke about their fear of Seth during his bail application. Bail was rejected on the basis that Seth was considered too strong a flight risk. Two months later, Seth launched an application to gain access to his parents' estate in order to fund his trial defence, but the request was denied. The trial for the murders of Teddy, Lover and Claudine Gonzalez commenced in early April 2004, with Seth's defence funded by Legal Aid, legal representation given to defendants who cannot afford their own.

The lesser charge of threatening product contamination would only precede the trial if Seth was found not guilty of the murders. Seth testified during the trial, fielding questions from senior crown prosecutor Mark Tedeschi, who argued Seth had spent several months planning the murders of his family, as premeditation was evident in his attempt to poison Lover Gonzalez in early July. The many lies Seth had told friends and family about his movements on the night of the murders were put before the court, corroborated by the information provided by Seth himself during over 8000 phone calls police had covertly monitored. As further proof of Seth's habit of lying to protect himself, the prosecution also alleged that the defendants' claims he had been abducted, assaulted and left for dead in the gutter in Chatswood was yet another ruse to fool police. The prosecution maintained that Seth murdered his parents amid fears of their incoming punishment for failing his second university course, fully aware that their first act of discipline would be to confiscate his beloved car. His motive for murdering Claudine was more personal, perhaps indicating why she was also bludgeoned. It was known Claudine was the one who had told Teddy and Lover about Seth faking his university results. Seth's greed was another motivating factor in the slaughter of his sister, driven by his desire to be the sole beneficiary of his parents' multi-million dollar estate.

Based on evidence and forensic findings, the prosecution concluded that on the afternoon of July 10, 2001, Seth Gonzalez returned home after working at his parents' legal office. He collected the baseball bat he had kept in the boot of his car, as well as two large knives from the kitchen. Wearing gloves, her coat and her hat, he went upstairs to Claudine's bedroom. He surprised the teen as she sat at her desk studying, bludgeoning, throttling, then stabbing her to death. After murdering his younger sister, Seth covered her brutalised body with a red jacket. He then headed downstairs and laying in wait for his mother to arrive home. At approximately 6pm, Seth confronted Lover as she entered the living space, stabbing her to death. He then waited in the foyer for his father to return home.

Within this time frame, Emily Luna visited the Gonzalez house and inadvertently saw Seth through the frosted glass by the front door in his baseball cap and coat. Teddy arrived home at around 7pm, where he was immediately killed by Seth upon entering the house. After the murders, Seth showered and got changed and proceeded to stage the scene to look like a racially motivated break-in and robbery. He graffitied the walls with racial slurs, accidentally leaving evidence of the blue spray paint on his jumper sleeve. Previous testing had confirmed the blue staining on Seth's jumper was indeed paint, but it was revealed during the trial that it was an exact match for the paint used for the graffiti. After staging the scene, Seth left the house in his car to dispose of the kitchen knives, baseball bat, spray can, shoes and clothing he was wearing at the time of the murders, items which have never been recovered. He then went to pick up his friend Sam, ensuring they hung out at a crowded area with plenty of security cameras to solidify his alibi. When he returned home later that evening, he called triple zero, feigning hysterics at finding his family murdered.

But no matter how much Seth carried on, he couldn't even manage to fake a single tear to sell his performance to attending police officers. Seth Gonzalez was the only witness for the defense. During cross-examination, he confessed his first alibi was a liar driven out of panic and embarrassment from admitting the truth of visiting a brothel. He also revealed he had lied in many other instances during the investigation, confirming it was he who researched and ordered the poison seeds online. He also admitted he authored the threatening emails he allegedly received from his family's killer. On May 20, 2004, the jury found Seth Gonzalez guilty of the murders of Teddy, Lover and Claudine Gonzalez. Seth was visibly shocked when the verdict was announced. Outside court, his aunt Annie said,

I just feel that we have lost another member of the family. We're really in pain. I think justice has been done, but it would have been easier to accept if it were a different person. It's just so hard to accept. I just wish it wasn't him. During sentencing on August 27, 2004, victim impact statements from the Gonzalez's extended family were read out to the court. Lover's sister Annie spoke of the relief that their cry for justice had been answered, but added it came with profound sadness wrapped in sorrow and tears. Seth's grandmother, Amelida, also prepared a victim impact statement, part of which read, To this day, I am struggling to cope with the emotional pain and trauma of what has happened. I miss all of them every day. Psychiatry professor David Greenberg was tasked with concluding whether Seth had any mitigating psychiatric illness that could have contributed to the crimes. Professor Greenberg concluded there was insufficient evidence to suggest the diagnosis.

The possibility that Seth had repressed post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from being trapped in the rubble of his family's hotel following the 1990 Luzon earthquake was also denied. Professor Greenberg stated that during pre-sentencing assessments, Seth told him, I was put on trial for being a lousy person. I have deep remorse for people I lied to, but they can't make me plead guilty to murder. At sentencing, Seth focused on his own suffering, telling his grandmother in court, If you don't think I'm feeling any pain, you're wrong. Whatever pain you're feeling, I am feeling it much worse than you. I'm not going to plead guilty to something I didn't do just to make people happy. On September 18, 2004, the day after his 24th birthday, Seth Gonzalez said emotionless in court as Justice Bruce James sentenced him to three concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole. Judge James declared Seth lacked insight into the enormity of his offences and had failed to accept any responsibility for his crimes.

Due to being found guilty of triple murder, Seth's lesser charge of threatening product contamination was dropped. Outside court, Seth's aunt Emily Luna said, It's actually a very sad day because we love Seth very much, but I'm just glad it's all over as well. We will always love him. Three years later, in June 2007, the New South Wales Supreme Court granted Seth approval to appeal his conviction, Based on the fact that he was not cautioned by police on the night of the murders, and therefore statements taken from him may have been deemed inadmissible. But the appeal was eventually dismissed and his convictions were upheld, on the basis that there had been no evidence that a miscarriage of justice had occurred. To this day, Seth continues to protest his innocence. His concurrent life sentences mean he will remain in jail for the rest of his life.

In November 2005, the former Gonzalez home on Collins Street was finally sold for $720,000 to a buyer who was fully aware and accepting of its dark history. In 2017, the owners of the former Gonzalez homestead spoke publicly about life in the house, saying they had a very good feeling about the property from the moment they walked inside. After many happy years spent creating their own memories inside the home, one of the owners told Woman's Day magazine, This is my home. I get really annoyed when people ask about what happened here because it happened before us. I know the Gonzaleses were a good family and would have liked to know we've taken over their home and been very happy here.