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Estranged Husband Accused Of Murdering Beloved Track Coach

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)  — A beloved track coach was found shot to death inside her car last Friday and her husband stands accused of the murder.

CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Serene Branson spoke with the dead woman's sister, Adrienne Guvara. "I instantly knew something was wrong."

When Guvara got a call saying her sister Gretchen Lohr Corrales failed to pick up her 9-year-old twins, she knew something was amiss. She immediately called police.

"I walked in telling them she was probably dead. I knew Gilberto threatened her before."

Gilberto is former professional boxer Gilberto Corrales and Gretchen's estranged husband.

Guvara warned her sister that she didn't trust Gilberto. "I told her two months ago, 'He scares me. He's gonna kill you.' And she said, 'I can handle him. He's harmless.'"

Though never officially divorced, the couple had been living separately. Guvara said Gilberto was abusive to her sister as recently as August.

The deceased grew up in Studio City. She was an avid and accomplished runner. She coached at Louisville High School and Cal State Los Angeles.

Shawna Burger ran with Corrales Friday ... That is the same day her body was discovered in her car at Long Beach Avenue and MLK Boulevard, blocks from Gilberto Corrales' home.

Burger remembers her friend. "She coached me and took me under her wing." Burger also believes Corrales' caring nature allowed her to stay close to her estranged spouse. "That's why she had him around so long. She felt he needed her because he was a very troubled person."

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