A man who jumped to his death from a parking structure at Disneyland on Saturday night was the principal of a Huntington Beach elementary school and a musician who taught and played throughout Southern California.
The man who was identified as Christopher Christensen, 51, of Westminster, faced misdemeanor child endangerment and battery charges after he was arrested last month.
Christensen blasted those charges in a lengthy suicide note that he posted on his Facebook page:
“I hate when people leave this Earth with so many unanswered questions. So, I hope this provides some insight and perspective…” he wrote.
In the note, he introduced friends to his wife, Marlena, writing: “Yes, you heard me correctly. Most of you don’t know this but we privately married 3 ½ years ago.”
The note described a dispute between the couple in which police had been called.
“Marlena and I love and adore each other and our relationship has been amazing … up until recently,” he wrote.
“Unfortunately, two weeks ago she and I got into a heated argument at home in front of the girls,” he explained, admitting that “tempers were flared and strong words were exchanged.”
“However, never in this exchange did I hit, slap, or hurt Marlena in any manner. Nor did I ever touch the girls (I never have and never will),” he stressed, saying he loved the girls “like my own.”
According to Orange County Superior Court records, Christensen was charged on Nov. 22 with the misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and battery. Christensen pleaded not guilty to both charges and was due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Monday, December 5.
“I am on the brink of losing my job,” he wrote. “So, here I am…writing my final FB post to all of you. I need you all to know that a gentle, kind, loving and sincerely good man has been destroyed by one unfortunate night.”
Before his death, Christensen was the principal at Courreges Elementary School, also in the Fountain Valley District, where he had been an administrator for 22 years.
“I have truly loved educating and leading thousands of students and families as a principal in FVSD for the past 21+ years,” he wrote on Facebook. “I have made so many wonderful connections with families over the years and those who know me closely know how much I cared for my students, staff and families. Please remember me for all the good I brought to the world of education.”
Christensen was also a cellist and a singer. He owned Seaside Strings in Huntington Beach, which provides string ensembles for weddings and other events.
