Sheriff's lieutenant: San Juan still safe, despite double killing

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The couple also dabbled in the electric-car business, opening a facility in San Juan Capistrano in the car dealership area at 32955 Calle Perfecto in 2008. They also opened Plug In Solutions, which sold what were advertised as quick ways to convert vehicles to run on electricity. The company's relationship with one partner, Plug In Supply, ended so badly that the ex-partner has a disclaimer on its website rebuking Plug In Solutions.

One woman sued Plug In Solutions in 2011, saying she paid nearly $11,000 for a conversion kit that functioned for six months before causing the car battery to leak a "toxic smell," according to the claim. Brad Sachs told the woman he'd fixed the problem, but the kit later ignited and burned her 2009 Toyota Prius, according to the lawsuit, which was settled outside of court.

The couple operated the property management company Ashby Enterprises LLC in San Juan beginning in 2009, but did not renew the company's license last year. It's now registered in the state of Washington, where the couple's sons attend college. The family has other companies registered there, according to the Washington Secretary of State.

The couple continued to own the building on Calle Perfecto where Jungle Motors once operated. Another Superior Court lawsuit alleges they failed to repair the building's roof, which led to renter Mill Enterprises' office being destroyed in a "monsoon-like rainstorm" in December 2010.

The lawsuit also accuses the couple of overcharging the company for electricity and interfering with its daily activities "by storming into (the office), making threats and accusations in a brash and unreasonable manner."

The case is ongoing. Joshua Engle, an Anaheim lawyer representing Mill Enterprises, declined to comment when reached by the Register on Monday.

A current tenant at the San Juan building spoke highly of the couple.

Chris Knuth opened Star Motors in the building in 2011. He said he saw the Sachs regularly and described them Monday as a normal couple who supported his business and celebrated his success.

“They seemed like everybody else,” he said. He said they often had packages mailed to the building and stopped by about once a week. He saw them last week and “didn’t think anything of it.”

He learned of their murders over the weekend and called it “unexpected news.”

“It’s very scary,” Knuth said.

The grisly discoveries and accompanying heavy police presence on Sunday put neighbors on edge in what they said was a typically peaceful area.

"This is exactly why people move here, to get away from that," said Charis Burrett, who lives nearby with her husband, Luke. "It's shocking. It's why you get an alarm and batten down the hatches.”

Staff writer Salvador Hernandez contributed to this report.



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