The narcissism that drove Sef Gonzales

The full story behind Sef Gonzales’s brutal murder of his parents and sister, a case that provoked intense interest in the Philippines, can be found at this Australian site. It includes a description of his behaviour at his family’s funeral:

“This was the same young man who was able to stand in front of the coffins of his family, deliver a eulogy for his father and sing, eyes closed, with no accompaniment, the Mariah Carey/Boyz II Men duet One Sweet Day.

Sorry I never told you/All I wanted to say
Now it's too late to hold you/'cause you've flown away, so far away
Never had I imagined living without your smile ...
And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven/like so many friends we've lost along the way.
And I know eventually we'll be together/One Sweet Day.

A feeling of intense strangeness rippled through the church that day; it seemed to confirm what police knew. It jarred in the minds of friends. "He seemed sad, but so calm at the funeral," said one. "There were the three caskets in front of him holding the mutilated bodies of his family and he started to sing . . . it was really strange."
…

ONCE [his parents] were dead, Sef became sole beneficiary of the will and was able to live the life he wanted, free from their control. Within 72 hours of his parents' murders, Sef met his father's accountant to find out how much money they had and whether anyone else had tried to get it. He embarked on a long legal battle to use his parents' $1.5 million estate to fund his legal defence, but was unsuccessful.
In the ensuing months he put deposits on a Porsche and Lexus SC430, quelling the disquiet of the car dealers' concerns about such a young man asking to test drive their best cars by saying he was expecting an inheritance from overseas. He also tried to pawn his mother's jewellery; he did sell her watch. And he moved into an 11th-floor apartment in Chatswood, furnishing it with the yellow lounge from his parents' house while he advertised their cars, selling them without his grandmother's permission.

In the 11 months between the killings and charges being laid, he was out clubbing. His main concerns were thoughts of an impending singing career, having been a singer in an a cappella band (Definite Vibez), and was free to indulge his vanity, collecting more than 15 bottles of aftershave.”

Comments

[chlane tales]

i just wanna say that keep on praying yeah i know you don't know me and i don't know you,too.well,it's not the end of the world.are you related to richard michael gonzales?what are you to him?i hope you will reply me soon.thank you for reading this and i'm sorry if i didn't ask your permission if i could ask about michael.god bless you!

[mike]

Got what he deserved....

PWNED!

ck model.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[jess]

From the information I have read, my heart cries for Sef Gonzales. He seems to be a victim of an abused child. Being tortured mentally and emotionally at a very young age by his parent to enforce and demand their own selfish desire to make him into what they wanted. These are manifested with the stories on his failing grades and meddling on his love interest.

This incident should serve as a lesson to us regarding parenting. Because the parents are one of the key factors how a child grow up to become a monster or a saint.

[jess]

Yes, he had murdered his family. It is a grievous sin. He needs to be punished. But is imprisonment the best solution? I believe that the place best for him is to undergo treatment for emotionally and mentally disturbed person for life maybe. But just to imprison him is not the best thing to do to him.

[nhatz]

all I wanna say is that I became a spoiled bratt but killin my own parents never came into my mind.what happened is unexcusable

[I remember him...]

I remember Sef from a long time back. I knew him when he was at School and when he was at university. All I can say is the same day it was reported his parents were murdered my friend and I thought it was him. It was not that he had displayed behaviour that was indicative of a mass murderer, it was that he was a liar. A pathological one - he believed his own lies. His lies were also unbelievable. Ridiculous. But many believed them - but not us.

I think what struck us was the day the matter as reported in the paper it stated he was a student at a certain university when we all knew he was at a different uni studying something completely different. But this is what he is like - a liar who has no compulsion at telling the biggest porkies.

So... do I think "Sef G" deserves another chance? Well everyone deserves another chance but not everyone kills his/her whole family. Personally I think he is incapable of human feeling - but if he can find forgiveness behind bars good on him - but that's where he should well and truly remain.

Oh and Sef if you set this site up and you are acting under another alias on this site - like you did with your own site, posting self serving comments - hello - can't fool me twice.

[Berry]

What a waste of life!!!! But I do feel sorry for him because all of his extended family won't stand by him eventhough he was found guilty. Sef loses his family, his freedom and now his behind bars. I do understand how it feels when your family pushes you to the limit. I'm still puzzels about the story about Sef murdering his family. Being pathological liar doesn't make you a killer. I do agree with you jess, he does need help.

[Sef]

Oh I feel so sorry for poor little Sefi... He's an inocent victim who had no control over what happened as it was destined by the lord allmighty...Sef is not responsible for his own actions, Mr. Narcissim did it...it is so so unfair on poor little Sefi.....Oh the pain i feel in my heart for Poor Sef, locked away, I cant bear the thought any longer, waaaawaaa. He should not be in JAIL he should be treated and cured of what he has, (I'll pay the bills!) Jesus loves and forgives you SEF...And in his eyes you are innocent. Free Sefi from Jail, give the poor soul a chance, its what his family would have wanted. God spoke to me Sefi and he said all is forgiven, praise the lord allmighty.

[Attila]

Well I was not happy with what my parents wanted me to be either, but never even considered hurting them, instead I moved away from them to live my own life. This kid is obviously a talentless, deluded idiot who is totally unable to learn and do well at anything, but is clearly addicted to the comfortable life his parents had always provided for him.

And now he`s still being looked after in jail, by the taxpayers. Perfect for these good-for-nothing losers.

[R]

I don't understand the comment made about Sef being a victim of emotional abuse. I have similar familial circumstances as Sef. His parents pushed him to be the best because they wanted him to have everything they DIDN'T, growing up in a poor country. His parents may have been strict, but you'll find that to be common within Asian families. Doesn't make it wrong parenting, these are simply cultural differences. His father had previously saved his life, running back into a collapsing hotel to free his son from the rubble. If that constitutes as "selfish" parenting Jess then I give up.

[rabia]

Guys r u serious ....his parents pushed him to do well because they loved and cared for him and wanted the best for him in life. In the Phillipines his father risked his own life to save a young sef who was pinned under the rubble in an earthquake. I wish he had left him there to die...Lets think for a second ...picking up a base ball bat and swinging it as hard as u can at ur sisters head watching her fly off her chair and try to crawl away an then finishing her off by stabbing her...then ur mother walks in and he stabbed her and slit her throat..gosh how must she of felt aware that her son her baby is killing her..then he he kills his dad the man who saved his life once before...the guy is greedy he had a wonderful family he is nothing but a BED WETTING BASTARD MAY U ROT IN PRISON U FUCKER..ur certainly going to be famous now with ur new friends Ivan Malat and the Anita Coby killers.

[e]

i totally agree with rabia what sort of person would do something like that to the people who gave him his life. No ones family is great and if he had such a big issue with them he should have left...
But all he was after was there money. So know sef have fun sitting in lock up with no coin or anything........

[Jay]

man this is sooo interesting. i would have loved to have known thi sguy in real life. would have been a funny one for all the people who knew him

[Jay Norton]

He is an idiot, no one will miss him.

[Jimbo]

it's funny when ppl are locked away they find happiness and a newfound freedom with 'god' or jesus...ive heard it all before but its not fooling anyone or me. sef killed his family in cold blood he knew what he was doing and is now paying for his crimes. he is now wetting his bed in prison and getting ass-raped by his fellow inmates

[Adam]

If Sef wet the bed in prison he probably wet the bed long after he was 12 , he Probably tortured small animals when he was a kid . The point i'm getting at is Sef seems to have some of the symptoms of an anti social personality. on top of that he was under allot of pressure eg. study , girl friend ect...

Sef, if you are reading this ,isn't there a time you miss your family? don't you miss coming home to your family? ,your lttle sister? don;t u miss your little car ? your friends? you must be 28 years old by now I know you can undo What you did that night don't you just wish you could have your family back ? .....

[Jc Ramos]

blah blah blah... My step dad seriously hates me (like for real, and for no reason) my mom is uncapable of unconditonal love... i was a very good kid,,, good grades (very good grades)... never got anyone pregnant... no matter how annoying they are i love them!... i'm independent now and living the high life! and now i realised how much my parents mean to me, and me to them... and my brother... i could NEVER ever,.. do what he has done..... over cars, over a nice apartment, over being a centre of attention with girls... he wanted to be a popular rich kid with the Porche, with the best bitch, over having a family... that to me, is pure evil... he should suffer in jail for the rest of his life (that wouldnt even be enough)..

[Anonymous]

i personally think that some of the comments that have been posted here are outrages and disgusting
people who think sef is innocent he is obviously not he has problems in the head i doubt he was abused as a child he was a very lucky and wealthy child who was pushed by his parents to have great opportunities, people who are messed up are the other end of the socio economic scale with no push or support from anyone to attend school or to achieve in life. how is sef "poor little seffi you are innocent' anyone who looks apon this article and feels sympathy for the boy is just as messed up in the head as the rest of the murderers, society should be run this way and we should not feel sorry for people who are too greedy! thats what he is, greedy! so what you were pushed would you rather not be encouraged to be something great at life? succeed in life? my parents push me, im being pushed to complete the hsc this year and get a uai of above 90, yet do you see me killing my parents? without being pushed we cannot succeed. maybe you should be a street kid struggling to survive every night, im sure you would be greatful to be pushed then!

[Russ]

I agree with the above. If Sef thought he was being pushed too hard and unable to meet the extremely high expectations of his parents, he has every right to move out and choose his own path.
But in this extraordinarily sinister case, he got greedy and decided to murder his own family for sympathy and financial gain. No amount of academic pressure placed upon him can justify his actions.
Do some more research on the topic and see that he was a compulsive liar. Examples of his bullsh*t included owning television production companies, training for the olympics and being approached by record labels after his superb rendition of 'one sweet day'.
He is undeniably a pathetic human being.

[Kat]

Please get your hands on a copy of Unmasked: The Gonzales Family Killer by Kara Lawrence. The book is gripping, and may just change your opinion of Sef. Yep, on the surface he had everything, but what I would give to be a fly in the wall in that house. Think about it, migrant parents who always want there child to 'excel' in there new country, to the point of mental abuse. Add to that his strict catholic upbringing (very restrictive) The fact he had HUGE shoes to fill (dad was a lawyer) mixed with a stepford mum, who showed love when necessary, to which ever child necessary, sparking the usual sibling rivalry. I certainly do not condone his actions, but understand them. If it wasn't this, 99.9% would have been suicide. Only difference is, Sef was too much of a coward, and a very sick boy. Lesson to all parents - UNCONDITIONAL LOVE PLEASE. Lesson to families/teachers/friends etc, if someone does not seem 100% get help early. Sef showed signs early on in life. His mum told him to stop 'acting' mad, and took little notice. Friends knew he was a pathological liar, and went along with his 'fantasy'. End result 3 corpses. Hope and pray they RIP and SEF gets help he needs in prison.

[Liz]

There is NO excuse under the sun for what he did. He solely did it for financial gain and that is the ONLY reason. I had a very strict father and was pushed at school but never once did I want to finish off my parents. He is a sick useless sub human for what he did. In my book his parents only wanted him to succeed and wanted what was best for him. I doubt he had an abused childhood, I'd say he in fact had the opposite, very privilidged. Let the loser rot in hell or has he knows it, PRISON.

[andrew]

Look, i just watched the australian episode of how he done it. I have no sympathy for him. I feel sorry for all those ppl affected such as family friends and extended family

[Immigrant]

"Hope and pray they RIP and SEF gets help he needs in prison"
Sef is going to get exactly the help he needs in jail.
The kid was almost brilliant in the way he went about twisting the truth, it would almost have been amusing, if he hadn't KILLED HIS MOTHER FATHER AND SISTER .... his own baby sister , his mum, his dad!!!! Stabbed them.
DO you want to try and help rehabilitate people like that??? DO you want me to work my arse off while you do some bullshit sociology degree and defend the rights of people who killed their own families and I can pay for their meals??
Why isn’t anyone saying Martin Bryant was disturbed? Because he clearly was, having no motive such as inheriting a couple of million to kill.
I dont believe in capital punishment but when i come across people like this I think "wouldnt it be better for me/us as taxpayers to just end this persons life?"
Are you expecting a person who waited 4 or something hours for his family to walk in one by one to kill them in a calculated manner, to be rehabilitated to anything of use to society?
It is no wonder that our society is up shit creek with people more concerned about providing arguments for people like this instead of toughening up and tackling the real problems on a national and global level.
You attention-seeking Sef-admirers, why don’t u take a trip to the middle of Australia and work with aboriginal communities or do something with your expensive educations to help people in Darfur.

Ps. Your hard wog parent theories are a bunch of crap, speaking as an only child who escaped the war and who didnt live up to the golden-boy image. We all have issues but we dont go around killing our parents. The thought of that weasel doing this to his own blood absolutely repulses me.

And to those of you that will keep ‘blogging on’ about it, I am absolutely right and there is no doubt about it. :)

[OttoAu]

I LOVE THAT HIS ASS IS GETTING REAMED OUT IN JAIL AND THAT HE IS EATING LOTS OF COCK FROM HARDENED [LOL] CRIMS.
HOPE HE GETS AIDS AND DIES A PAINFUL DEATH

[throw the first stone]

Did you know:
Sef was severly injured in the Phillipines at a young age, as a result of an earthquake. He was 'trapped' and it was his father who freed him.
In 1991 parents moved here from the Phillipines, could not get a refuge visa, so moved back for another 9-10 months.
Sef and Clodine (his sister) were sent to strict Catholic schools from day 1, where focus was on studies and religion.
Gonzales family visited church ONCE A DAY and had a shrine in there home.
Sef scored 71.77 in his HSC and parents were 'disgusted' with this.
Clodine found an 'Australian' boyfriend and was sent to Melbourne to live as parents could not handle it.
Sef found a GF and mother disliked her. Sef was forced to break up with her.
Sef loved music, parents did not see this as a 'decent' career - only thing good enough was medicine or law.
Parents threatened to take Sef's car away if he did not pass uni.
Father was prepping Sef for a career in law. A career Sef did not want.
Parents threatened to 'disown' any child that did not meet there expectations.
Need I go on????
You can only push a person so far. Sef snapped (from an early age)- maybe not murder, but something was bound to happen. This BS theory that he did it for the money and assets is crazy. IF he did it, it was because he had lost it, after years of abuse. Guilt is a very strong emotion, and the Gonzales parents were masters when it came to making each other feel guilty, and unworthy. Clodine was 'trained' to report her brothers every move, and she took pleasure in telling her parents the 'bad' he had been up to. Sef is just as much a victim, and is now suffering even more.