By Tracey Kaplan and Will Oremus
In what authorities describe as an act of passion, a Palo Alto business owner killed his girlfriend in the home they shared then set it on fire to conceal the slaying, police said Monday night.
Bulos "Paul" Zumot, 36, was arrested on suspicion of arson and homicide Monday evening in the slaying of real estate agent Jennifer Schipsi, who had been living with Zumot in Palo Alto. Zumot was arrested at 5:30 p.m. at Da Hookah Spot, a smoking lounge he owns in downtown Palo Alto.
"We believe this is an act of passion," said Palo Alto police Sgt. Dan Ryan. "We believe it was an act of domestic violence that led to her death and we believe the arson was meant to cover up murder."
Police did not reveal how Schipsi was killed but said an autopsy completed Monday morning provided conclusive evidence of a homicide. Ryan said police believe Zumot acted alone and that Schipsi was dead before the fire began Thursday at their rented cottage in the 900 block of Addison Avenue. The fire gutted the front bedroom where Schipsi's body was found.
According to court records, Schipsi, 29, had sought restraining orders against Zumot over the past 18 months.
On Friday, Zumot told the Bay Area News Group that police seized his cell phone.
He said he had rushed home from work after getting a call that the house was on fire. In a brief interview, he expressed concern about the gas stove in the rental and pointed out that Schipsi
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smoked in bed. He also said she was being stalked by a former neighbor.
But Zumot failed to note that he had been convicted of harassing and threatening Schipsi — 88 times in a single day alone, according to court documents. The threats began after Schipsi broke up with him in February 2008. She claimed he kicked her Mercedes, cracking the front grill and denting the passenger door.
The two had a volatile relationship that included a restraining order against him and three arrests for domestic violence battery — two for him and one for her. At the time of the fire, the two were living together again.
The court dismissed the battery charge against her stemming from a Christmas Day 2008 incident in which both claimed the other had been physically abusive.
In Zumot's case, the most recent charges against him were dropped after the couple apparently made up and Schipsi amended her restraining order to allow peaceful contact.
However, he remains on probation after pleading no contest to one misdemeanor count of threatening her in March 2008 via phone, e-mail and text messages.
"I have to get you out of my life @ any price," one text from Zumot said according to court documents.
In the absence of witnesses, the battery charge in that case was dismissed.
In a Feb. 13 letter to the court, a counselor for Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence noted discussing the volatile relationship with Schipsi.
The counselor informed Schipsi that she had the right to ask the court to reinstitute a no-contact restraining order and also discussed "safety concerns."
But in his interview with the Bay Area News Group on Friday, Zumot said Schipsi was being stalked by a former neighbor.
Just last month, she filed civil harassment complaints against brothers Tony and Hisham Ghanma, according to court information.
Palo Alto Online reported court documents said the Ghanma brothers threatened Zumot, and that Schipsi reported one of the brothers threatened her.
Zumot and the Ghanma brothers had been friends, but that ended when they quarreled over an alleged kiss between Schipsi and Tony Ghanma.
Reached at his home Monday night, Tony Ghanma said he was instructed by police not to comment but denied all of the allegations and called Schipsi's death a tragedy.
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