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After hours of questioning, authorities released a woman who they say shot and killed her husband Bell Gardens Mayor Daniel Crespo Tuesday afternoon.Levette Crespo, 43, allegedly shot her husband during a family dispute in the master bedroom at their Bell Gardens townhouse around 2:30 p.m. yesterday. The fight escalated when the couple's 19-year-old son Daniel tried to intervene, sheriff's deputies told the Los Angeles Times. Authorities say that when the father and son began brawling, Levette went to grab a gun before firing several shots. Her husband was shot in the torso and pronounced dead en route to the hospital.
The couple's son Daniel was treated for facial injuries at a hospital from the brawl before he was taken in for questioning. He was also released. Detectives said they have no plan to make arrests at this time. Los Angeles County District Attorney will review the evidence before deciding whether to file any charges.
Lt. Steve Jauch of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told KCAL that investigators will be looking into whether there were any previous domestic violence calls from that home. Jauch also told KPCC that Levette had some type of injury to her face, but they weren't sure how that happened.
William Crespo told KTLA that he had talked to his brother Daniel earlier that day. He said the couple had been feuding about money and Daniel told him: "She’s over here fighting that I spend too much money." On that particular day, Daniel said he was "really tired" after having working both days and nights. William said, "She won't let him sleep."
"I couldn't believe it—I still can't believe it. I have a sick mom and now my brother is gone," William told NBC Los Angeles. "He loved (his family) more than life. He loved his wife a lot, he always loved his wife."
Levette and Daniel had met in high school and been married since 1986, and they had two children together. He had worked as a deputy probation officer for the past 15 years. For the past five years he worked in a gang and narcotics unit. Crespo moved to Bell Gardens from New York in 1987 and was elected to City Council in 2001. He was elected mayor last. December.
The shooting shocked neighbors, family and friends alike. Jannette Morales, a member of the city’s education commission, told KPCC that she saw no sign the couple were having problems. She described Levette Crespo as a quiet, reserved, nice person and her husband this way: "He was my best friend for 13 years. We did a lot of things together."
State Senator Ricardo Lara and Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, of Bell Gardens, released a statement describing Crespo as "a respected public servant who dedicated his life to protecting and helping others in southeast Los Angeles and throughout the region."
