‘Secret millionaire,’ others help woman who lost daughter, mom

Alyssa Collier was surrounded by lots of love Thursday night, much of it from strangers, including one “secret millionaire” who wanted to ensure she would have a place to live for the next year.

At a fundraiser for Collier at Hooley’s Irish Pub & Grill in Rancho San Diego, Marc Paskin of La Jolla gave Collier a check on which he had written not a dollar amount, but the words “free apartment for one year.”

Collier, 25, lost her baby daughter, mother, and childhood home when her estranged husband, 32-year-old Kevin Collier, went on a murderous rampage Sunday. He also shot and wounded El Cajon police Officer Jarred Slocum before burning down the house on Prince Street in El Cajon.

The bodies of Alyssa Collier’s mother, Beverli Rakov, 51, and Kevin Collier were found in the house. Collier’s 14-month-old daughter, Rhilee, was found dead in a pickup parked outside the house.

Paskin, 61, a real-estate mogul, was on the ABC-TV reality show “Secret Millionaire” in March. He worked in disguise for a week in a gang-plagued Detroit neighborhood and later handed out thousands of dollars to people who had no idea who he was.

He said all the money in the world can’t bring back Collier’s mother and daughter, a loss that he called “beyond comprehension,” but he hoped his offer to pay her rent and utilities for a year would “help her get back on her feet.”

He handed Collier the check inside the packed restaurant, where 25 percent of all food and drink proceeds were being donated to her. She declined to talk to the media afterward.

Several people came up and hugged her, but most of the people inside seemed to not know her, but just wanted to be there to help.

People were lined up outside the restaurant, many of them waiting an hour to eat. A glass bowl on top of the hostess stand at the front of restaurant was filled with gift cards and cash, including $50 and $100 bills.

Owner Craig MacDonald said he was overwhelmed by the response. A corner of one room of the restaurant was overflowing with bags of clothes and other items that people brought. Some brought photos. Many of Collier’s photos were lost in the fire.

Nicole Baca of Granite Hills used to be a cheerleader with Collier for the West Coast Mavericks All-Star cheer team.

“When I heard this happened, I knew I had to help,” she said.

She went shopping and brought a large bag full of toiletries and items “to fill a medicine cabinet.”

Salina Brown brought a special gift from employees from Sears, where Rhilee had pictures taken a week before she was killed. Her mother had never seen them. The photos were framed and placed by the other donations.

Among those who came were colleagues of Rakov’s from Barona Resort & Casino where she worked as a cashier.

Two women who used to work with Rakov at a call center at TeleTech, which has since been closed, brought photos.

Carol Strauss, 68, and Edna Bon, 67, said Rakov was a devoted mother and grandmother, and an exuberant woman who was always smiling and laughing.

“She would keep us in stitches,” said Bon, who frequently shared texts with Rakov. “We’ll really miss her.”