A Grover Beach resident has been charged with murder in connection with the killing of a Santa Maria man whose dismembered remains were found in a pond at a Nipomo golf course.
A criminal complaint filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court charged Benjamin Mersai, 33, with murder and accessory to a crime along with a sentencing enhancement contending that the killing involved a firearm.
He is the third person arrested in connection with the death of Joseph Martin Govey, 53, of Santa Maria.
Detectives from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said the killing occurred in early December 2018 in Santa Maria.
Last week, members of the sheriff’s department’s dive team found Govey’s remains in a pond at the Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo.
Govey’s family had reported him as missing to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in August 2019 after saying they had last heard from the man in late 2018.
Santa Maria residents Kimberly Machleit, 35, and Donald Andrew Anderson, 37, were arrested last week in connection with the homicide.
Deputies took Mersai into custody on Monday while he was recreating at the same golf course where the remains were found.
An arraignment hearing for Mersai occurred Wednesday in Santa Maria Superior Court.
He pleaded not guilty and was ordered to return Oct. 19.
Mersai remains in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $3 million.
Machleit also entered a not-guilty plea on Thursday after her arraignment hearing had been continued from last week.
She has been ordered to return to court on Oct. 22.
Anderson, who previously pleaded not guilty to a felony conspiracy charge, is expected to return to court on Monday, when the judge and attorneys may set a date for a preliminary hearing.
Machleit and Anderson remain in the county jail, where she is being held on no bail and his is $1 million.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.