The Deaths of Jose Barriga-Tovar and Anahi Tovar
For this case, I watched an episode of Evil Twins. It’s season 6 episode 2, titled ‘All-American Killers.’
A father and daughter are killed on their way to school.
Background
Jose was born on February 8, 1979, and his daughter, Anahi was born on March 7, 2000. Anahi was an 8th grader at Cooley Middle School in Roseville, California. They had recently moved to the town of Antelope, California, but were able to keep Anahi at her same middle school.
Sadly, this episode talks more about the brothers who were involved in killing Jose and Anahi, who were just driving to school on April 2, 2014.
Jose Barriga-Tovar
Anahi Tovar
The Glukhoy Family
The Glukhoy family moved to Sacramento, California, from Ukraine when twins, Roman and Ruslan were 7-years-old. Mr. Glukhoy owned his own trucking business, and was able to give his family a good life.
By 2010, the twins were 15, and starting high school. They were outgoing, and discovered their love of wrestling. Their former coach, Dave Landry, said that they had very little experience, but became their best wrestlers. They were nicknamed the wonder twins, and won various meets and medals.
Both Roman and Ruslan thought that their life in wrestling could take them far in life. They were speaking about having professional careers in mixed martial arts after they graduated.
The Addiction
In August 2011, Roman and Ruslan were attending a week long prestigious wrestling camp near Lake Tahoe.
Both boys, and several other wrestlers were involved in a severe car accident. Roman and Ruslan were more injured than anyone else because their seat in the car hadn’t been bolted down, and didn’t have seatbelts. Roman suffered from a spinal compression and Ruslan had a shattered knee.
The boys didn’t attend public high school after their accident, but were homeschooled by their mom. They became heavily addicted to their painkillers and partying. They were also given different settlements from the accident, and used the money to buy street drugs.
By January 2012, the boys were cleared to wrestle. They weren’t attending public school, but were allowed to compete on the wrestling team. The boys weren’t the same wrestlers as they once were. Dave Landry caught onto their addiction.
The Glukhoy’s tried to send their kids to get clean, but it would only last for a few months. By their senior year, their grades plummeted, and they dropped out of their homeschooling program.
A Life of Crime
In May 2013, Roman and Ruslan were financially cut off by their parents. They began to rob people and cars to fund their drug habit.
On May 27, 2013, Roman was caught, and convicted of receiving stolen goods. He was sentenced to a few months in jail.
By April 2014, Roman had posted on social media that he wanted to leave Sacramento to get sober. The Glukhoy’s hoped that Ruslan would join him.
On April 2, 2013, the boys left their house in the middle of the night around 5am. Around 2:50am, they had sent their friends text messages, and said they were going shopping (aka robbing cars).
Roman, Ruslan, and a friend of theirs named Yuriy Murkushev, went out looking for unlocked cars in Auburn, California. A 911 call had come about a suspicious car door being closed early in the morning.
Sergeant Chris Forman of the Auburn police arrived. He drove up behind the three suspects without his lights on. When he did turn his lights on, Roman drove away in a stolen black BMW. The high speed chase went into the town of New Castle at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.
The car eventually spun out in a grassy area, and all 3 fled on foot. Roman and Ruslan separated from their friend, Yuriy.
The Car Accident
The Auburn police set up a parameter, and notified the Glukhoy’s that their sons were involved in a high speed chase. The police notified the boys’ mother that they would be arrested if they were caught.
Roman and Ruslan had snuck into a home, and stole car keys from the kitchen counter. This time, Ruslan was driving, and followed by the police immediately.
Again, instead of just pulling over and listening to the police, a high speed chase began. By 6:30am, Jose and Anahi were leaving their home for their daily commute to Anahi’s school.
Ruslan got onto the interstate, and drove over 100 miles per hour. Ruslan ran a red light, and crashed into Jose and Anahi. Tragically, they were killed immediately. Roman and Ruslan weren’t injured, and fled on foot.
Roman was caught first, and tackled. Ruslan was eventually caught about an hour later by a police canine in the backyard of a home.
The Convictions
Roman and Ruslan were looking at charges of first and second degree murder.
They both pled not guilty. Their defense tried to say they weren’t cold blooded murderers, and hadn’t planned on killing anyone. They admitted that they were drugs addicts, but never thought anyone would be killed. The jury disagreed, and found both brothers guilty.
Ruslan was convicted of two counts of first degree murder, and sentenced to life without parole.
Roman was convicted of two counts of second degree murder. He was sentenced to 15 years to life.
Yuriy was facing charges of grand theft and assault on an officer. However, I couldn't find any information about the results of the charges.
The twins are at separate prisons. Ruslan had tried to take the blame for driving both vehicles, but the police knew that Roman had also driven at one point.
Ruslan, Roman and Yuriy
FINAL THOUGHTS
The victims get lost in this case. Jose was a loving father, and Anahi was a smart middle schooler, who was just going to school on April 2. Roman and Ruslan could’ve just listened to the police, and maybe spent a few months in jail for robbery charges. Instead, they led the police on two high speed chases, and killed two innocent people. I hope they think about what they did everyday while they are serving their sentences.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158141432/jose-luis_tovar-barriga
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158141505/anahi-tovar-corona
https://www.kcra.com/article/innocent-teen-killed-in-chase-adored-by-classmates/6412720
https://thecinemaholic.com/where-are-roman-and-ruslan-glukhoy-now/
