Love-Struck L.A. Couple Becomes A Family

 View Larger

Los Angeles cops are looking for Jesus "Chuy" Canales for the murder of Lucy Preciado.

When Lucy Preciado first laid eyes on 29-year-old Jesus “Chuy” Canales in Lancaster, Calif., she was smitten.

“It was different than any other boyfriend that she ever had. She was very awestruck by him, very much in love. They hit it off very quick,” Lucy’s cousin Irene Quezada told AMW.

She said Lucy liked that Canales had an “edge” to him. When they met, Lucy was already pregnant with her first child, Marina, from a previous relationship.

According to Irene, Lucy and Canales grew closer after Marina was born and wanted a bigger family. Marina soon had three younger brothers, and her mom couldn’t have been happier.

“Lucy loved everything about being a mom. She was a stay-at-home mom so she played with them a lot. They were everything to her,” Irene said.

But it seemed Jesus Canales didn’t have the same parental instincts that Lucy did.

“He took what he had for granted, the children, Lucy, and still did what he wanted. Never really matured,” Irene told us.

She went on to say that Canales couldn’t hold down a job and spent his time playing video games, drinking beer and smoking marijuana.

Through The Eyes Of A Child, A Relationship In Crisis

 View Larger

L.A. Sheriff's deputies say Chuy Canales murdered Lucy Preciado in front of their children.

As Marina Preciado grew older, she said she watched the relationship between her mother and Canales deteriorate.

Over time, household tensions grew thick with more frequent arguments. “Eventually they stopped being happy together. They’d stop fighting and the next few days they’d fight again,” she said.

Marina told us the couple argued over everything from money to how Canales disciplined the children.

“My mom would get really mad and I would hear her … she would be praying, ‘Please help me, Lord!’ and ‘Please don't let Chuy hit the kids anymore!’" she said.

Family members also told AMW that Jesus Canales had developed a penchant for knives and a sword he had gotten from a friend.

“We thought it was really weird because he had a sword and he had three different pocketknives and he would carry them around like he was gonna do something,” Marina said.

Cops tell AMW that sword was a merchandising replica from the Hollywood blockbuster, “Blade,” starring Wesley Snipes.

The double-edged, stainless steel blade was nearly three feet long. Family members said Canales told them he kept it around the apartment for protection.

“We were really scared,” Marina said.

According to Marina, Canales would sometimes threaten her mother with the sword during arguments. She said Canales walked up to Lucy and put the blade up to her neck.

“My mom was just saying, ‘Chuy, you better not do this. It’s going to be a really big mistake.” Marina said.

Irene told AMW that her cousin, Lucy, wanted out of the relationship, and was determined to create a better life for her and her children.

“She had talked about getting out. Packed stuff for the kids. She was planning to stay with her mom,” Irene said.

Brave Girl, 9, Sees Mom Impaled On Boyfriend's Sword

In the early morning hours of July 12, 2008, Lucy returned to the family's apartment. She and her four kids had spent the evening at a family reunion, and according to Marina, an argument about rent money had erupted between her mother and Canales.

Marina said her mother suspected that Canales had taken her share of the rent and grabbed a baseball bat.

“She was saying, ‘Chuy, give me my money or else I'm gonna go break all your windows in your van,’" Marina told AMW.

Then, Marina said she watched Jesus Canales go for his sword and impale her mother.

“My mom wasn't saying anything," Marina said. "She was just laying on the ground looking at me.”

Marina dialed 9-1-1.

She said that while she was on the phone with a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, Canales was still in the apartment.

Marina told AMW that she watched him grab his keys and wallet before he pushed her out of the way and fled the apartment building.

By the time paramedics arrived, cops said Lucy Preciado was already dead.

Little Marina tells AMW she wants justice for her mother’s killer.

“What he did to my mom, he could possibly go and do the same thing," she said. "I just don’t want him out there hurting any other innocent people.”

Jesus Canales goes by the name “Chuy” and has ties to California, Arizona, Texas, and El Salvador. He likes to play video games, smoke marijuana and drink beer.

He has at least two tattoos on his back: one reads, "Lucy," and the other, "Marina."