Krystal Flores Perales Corpus Christi, TX

Krystal Flores Perales, age 28, passed away on February 23, 2014, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was born November 8, 1985, to David and Anita Flores in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was raised in Corpus Christi and Flour Bluff. Krystal graduated from Flour Bluff High School in 2003. Krystal was a single mom attending Southern Careers School while raising her four children. Krystal was a loving mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and cousin and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

 Krystal enjoyed being with her children and living life to the fullest. She will always be remembered for her love of laughter, sense of adventure, love of music, devotion to her family, and always thought of her children first, loved life, no matter what she faced. Krystal always considered her sister her best friend and loved her brother dearly. 

As sisters go, Krystal Perales and Stephanie Flores were as close as they came. They had their first children simultaneously; they lived together and relied on each other for love and support during the worst of times.  And so, the sisters banded together to save the kids on the day that Krystal’s estranged husband Jesse turned up at their house with a gun..’

When Stephanie married her hubby Joe Sanchez, Krystal was already married to army sergeant Jesse Perales.

Krystal went on to welcome four children – James, Jenavie, Julian, and Karolynne –

After being physically abused for years, Krystal decided to take matters into her own hands.

She moved out of the family house with the children. In 2009, the pair officially separated – keeping on amicable terms for the children's sake. 

Krystal moved on and met another man with whom she had a baby, Randy. But when that relationship ended, Stephanie recalls it was clear.

Jesse still had feelings for her.

‘We wanted him out of her life for good!! Krystal filed for divorce, but he would never sign the papers. She and the kids moved into my little house in Corpus Christi, and we made the best of it.’

In Krystal's case, she reported her estranged husband raped her the day before he killed her. It was on a Saturday, and Anita Flores said the police told her daughter the report would have to wait until Monday for a family violence detective to get assigned the case.

On Sunday, the 28-year-old mother of four was dead. We believe the killing was in retaliation for her reporting the rape. As her mother, I feel maybe she would be alive today.  I blame the police department for that.

That Sunday evening, after the sisters had just ordered a pizza dinner for the kids, there was an ominous bang at the door. It was Jesse, and what he said will haunt Stephanie forever.

‘I’m going to kill your mother,’ he calmly told one of his sons before breaking down the door.

‘I ran to the lounge to get my phone off the charger and call the police. I think Krystal bolted to hide or get help – it was absolute chaos’ I will never forget the horror that followed.

He searched the house for Krystal;  ran out the back door with the children. As all five of us raced to the backyard, we found Krystal hiding.

‘Our house is on stilts, and she was hiding underneath where the washer and dryer were. 

‘It was a relief to see her, and I jumped over the fence first to help get the kids over to safety. She started putting the kids on the dog’s house so I could pull them over the fence.

‘“Can I come?” she asked, and I nodded. The last thing I remember is seeing Krystal reaching out to me, and then I heard the gunshots...’

He had shot the mother of his children in the head. As my sister lay dying on the ground, he pulled the trigger repeatedly.

‘The last memory I have of my sister is her reaching out to me for help, with me over the other side of the fence,’

‘I lost my best friend and soulmate that day.’

He was picked up by the police the next day and arrested. In March 2017, he pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

He was also convicted of a separate count of rape against Krystal. It’s a bitter victory for Stephanie and her mother, Anita, who now has custody of Krystal’s children.

‘It breaks our hearts knowing what a lot of emotional hurt the children are all harboring,

‘They lost their parents that day, and we can’t change any of it. I help Mom with Krystal’s kids, and we are still as close as ever. Our loss never gets easier, but it has become more bearable – we try to create as loving a home environment as we can for Krystal’s children.

‘My sister will be forever missed, and we love her desperately, but we will keep her memory alive.’