By MOISES MENDOZA
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 6, 2010, 10:34PM
Eric Kayne For the Chronicle
Stephanie Simmons, holding a photo of Terri Sanvicente, has come to Houston from California to try to set up funeral arrangements for her friend since the dead woman's relatives can't afford to do so.
MEMORIAL SERVICE SET
A memorial service for Terri Sanvicente will be at 6:30 p.m. today at National Cremation Service, 5400 Texas 6 North in Houston.
Donations to help fund Sanvicente's expenses and care for her children can be sent to The Terri Sanvicente Funeral and Child Benefit Fund, Walgreens, 2808 North Gessner, Houston, TX 77080.
After a life of hardship, 40-year-old Terri Sanvicente seemed to have turned things around.
She was an assistant manager at Walgreens, was raising three small children and had gotten away from her allegedly abusive husband. She also had a presence on Twitter where she faithfully tweeted about Adam Lambert of American Idol fame, Sanvicente's favorite singer.
So her violent death at the hands of her ex on Christmas Eve, police say, was stunning to her friends.
Early that morning, authorities say, Jason Ray Bouchard tried to set fire to Sanvicente's house in northwest Harris County at the 16400 block of Sky Blue Lane. Then police say he barged inside and began bludgeoning Sanvicente with a crowbar or tire iron in front of her children.
The kids — ages 3, 6 and 8 — and a live-in baby sitter escaped, but Sanvicente was killed. Police subsequently arrested Bouchard, who is being held without bond on capital murder charges at the Harris County Jail.
Today, friends have planned a small memorial service. But they're also wondering: What becomes of the children?
Battled drug addiction
Sanvicente's killing has shocked those who know the adversity she overcame.
She grew up in California in a troubled family and beat back drug addiction. At about 17, she moved in with one of her best friends, Stephanie Simmons, to help raise Simmons' newborn child. For the next 13 years she worked a series of retail jobs and spent much of her time helping Simmons.
But roughly 10 years ago, Sanvicente decided to marry a boyfriend and move to Texas.
The hope, Simmons said, was that Sanvicente could open a new chapter in her life. Though the relationship didn't last, Sanvicente appeared to thrive in the Houston area.
Soon she met Bouchard, and the couple had three children. She also got a job at Walgreens where she worked her way up to her assistant management position and dreamed of one day running her own store.
But about two years ago things started to go wrong.
Friends say Bouchard began verbally abusing Sanvicente.
Sanvicente decided to boot Bouchard out of the house and contacted local attorney Kelly Joseph for help. She also fought for custody of her children, which she won in court last month.
Bouchard reportedly had been acting strangely in court, but he never threatened violence, so there was no restraining order to protect Sanvicente.
It's thought that in recent days he had been living rough on the street.
The guilt has been overwhelming for Sanvicente's friends.
No protective order
Joseph recalls how Sanvicente called his office on Dec. 23 complaining that Bouchard was blowing kisses in front of her house. There was nothing that could be done because Sanvicente didn't have an active protective order.
A panicked employee later called Joseph to inform him of his client's slaying.
“I couldn't believe it,” Joseph said. “It's devastating for everyone involved in the case. It's one of those things where you ask yourself ‘What more could have been done?' ”
At the Walgreens on the 14600 block of FM 529 Road, employees are still expecting Sanvicente to walk through the front door.
“It's terrible, it's so hard to come to work every day and know she's not here,” said employee Jackie Salinas.
And in the blogosphere, where Sanvicente was known for her Twitter page, there has also been a torrent of outrage.
Lambert recently expressed sorrow for his fan's death on his Twitter account.
But for now, the grief among friends has given way to dealing with the practicalities of every day life.
Funds lacking
Who will pay for Sanvicente's memorial service and who takes care of the children?
Nobody yet knows. Sanvicente had no life insurance policy, and her immediate family has no money to give, so Joseph has been charging everything to his credit card and desperately asking people for loans.
State officials put the children temporarily with a family friend and are determining whether they could live permanently with extended family on the East Coast.
A local Hilton hotel is putting Simmons up temporarily — she flew in from California as soon as she heard of her best friend's death.
A later funeral service in California is pending, but a small service has been arranged today in Houston to celebrate Sanvicente's memory.
It's meant mostly for the children, said Simmons, as she recounted the life of the friend she knew from age 12.
“We want to give them as much closure as we can,” she said.
moises.mendoza@chron.com
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