Handyman charged in killing of ex-Cupertino college board member

The former handyman of a prominent member of the Silicon Valley community was charged Monday for strangling his employer and burying the body in a shallow grave in remote Central Valley foothills, officials said.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith described the murder of former Cupertino school council member Gin Lu “Tommy” Shwe as “callous and cold-hearted” while announcing the arrest of the alleged murderer at a press conference.

Christopher Ellebracht, a 38-year-old Cupertino resident with a history of recent arrests in the South Bay, was charged Monday in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of murder, financial abuse of the elderly and counterfeiting.

“We are shocked and saddened that my father’s life story has come to such a tragic end,” said Shwe’s adult son Huei-Saint Shwe. “It is incomprehensible to us how something like this could happen to someone who was as kind and generous as our father.”

Gin Lu Shwe, a 70-year-old real estate agent and respected member of the Greater Bay Area Chinese community, has temporarily hired Ellebracht to work on its business for the past two years, Lt. Julian Quinonez, a detective with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

However, that working relationship ended sometime around January 17 when Shwe’s family reported him missing.

Detectives got leads on Ellebracht after learning that he recently deposited a check for $ 10,000 from Shwe into his bank account through an ATM in Morgan Hill.

Then, on January 20, California Highway Patrol officials found an Ellebracht registered van parked on the side of a country lane in the mountains outside of Three Rivers, Tulare County. In the car, the investigators found “evidence that indicated a possible foul play,” said Quinonez.

There was no trace of Ellebracht, but two days later police picked him up in nearby Visalia after they said he pulled a knife from someone near a fast food place. Ellebracht, the police said, had Shwe’s wallet with him when he was arrested.

On Wednesday, search teams and dogs swarmed the remote area where Ellebracht’s van was found and eventually discovered Shwe’s strangled body buried in a shallow grave.

Investigators were working to pinpoint a motive and determine where Shwe was killed, but Smith said Monday they don’t think he was killed in Cupertino.

“Any loss of life is tragic, but the strangulation and soulless burial – in an effort to hide and circumvent the pursuit of justice – are particularly troubling,” she said.

Officials said the suspect was caught on surveillance video buying a shovel at a Home Depot the morning Shwe was reported missing.

“We believe Mr. Ellebracht traveled to Visalia to complete what he started in Santa Clara County,” said Quinonez.

Shwe was the first Chinese American to be elected to the Cupertino School Board from 1985 to 1993.

Meanwhile, those in the Cupertino community who worked with him were still suffering from the shocking loss of their friend and colleague.

“This is a very sad time,” said Cupertino Mayor Savita Vaidhyanathan. “We lost a loved one and community leader who worked to improve the lives of our residents.”

Evan Sernoffsky is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky