Lawsuit Sheds Light on Stabbing-Suicide

A man who allegedly stabbed his business partner last week then jumped off the Winchester Canyon overpass to his death had filed a lawsuit against that business partner and a second partner this past summer, according to Superior Court records. Thomas Hutchison, Jr., who was 66, alleged that stabbing victim Rubel Trevino, 56, and Frederick Gallagher broke their business contract and committed fraud, among other claims, and he asked for their partnership to be dissolved. The lawsuit was dismissed. The three men worked together at the Goleta-based About the Children, a legal-assistance company plagued by dozens of complaints in the last few years. Trevino, who said he is recovering from his injuries and that the company will continue, declined to elaborate on the lawsuit but spoke about Hutchison: “He was a great man. He was a friend. We had some business challenges. May he rest in peace.”