Victim identified in Pacifica deadly stabbing as 30-year-old man from Oakland

PACIFICA, Calif. - The victim killed in a double stabbing in Pacifica was identified by the coroner's office on Friday. Police are calling it a domestic violence incident. 

Thirty-year-old Ezra Raymond Pouech of Oakland was stabbed to death Thursday at a home in the 200 block of Naomi Avenue, the San Mateo County Coroner confirmed. A woman, identified by neighbors as Nina, was wounded in the stabbing. She is still being treated at a local hospital.

Police would not officially confirm the identity of the woman who was stabbed. Her current medical condition is unknown. 

Neighbors told KTVU that two children were also in the home when the stabbing occurred, and they were taken away by family services. 

Pouech's older sister, Emma Pouech, said her brother was one of the kindest people she knew.

"Ezra could see there was still so much good and light in the world. One of the kindest souls around. Despite everything everywhere, he could still see good in life and beauty in sunsets," the woman said.

His sister said they were very close. She said she is in complete shock over his loss. 

Ezra Pouech was killed in a quiet Pacifica neighborhood around 7:45 a.m. The alleged suspect in the case was 46-year-old Jason Gillenwater, a firefighter paramedic with the Colma Fire Suppression District. 

Ezra Raymond Pouech, 30, pictured in this undated photo. Pouech was stabbed to death on Thursday, December 21, 2023, at a home in Pacifica. 

Police have not described the relationship between the two victims and the suspect.

Gillenwater was arrested on Dec. 14 for domestic violence at the same house where the stabbing occurred. He posted bail, but an emergency protective order was issued. He was later suspended from his job because of the arrest. 

Court documents show police were at the same home on Naomi Avenue the day before the stabbing because Gillenwater violated a restraining order.

Though police ordered that he not have access to firearms, Gillenwater somehow managed to obtain a gun and was found dead outside of his vehicle, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mendocino County. He was found about 100 miles away four hours after the double stabbing. 

Neighbors gathered in Pacifica's Vallemar neighborhood Friday night to honor those impacted by the violence. 

They remember Pouech as an artist, as well as a "fantastic" musician who loved photography. His family said that all creatures and "kiddos" adored him. 

KTVU's Crystal Bailey contributed to this report.