A woman charged with the 2018 killing of a man whose dismembered skeletal remains were found in pond at a Nipomo golf course took the witness stand this week in Santa Maria Superior Court claiming self-defense, and saying she didn’t know his legs were removed.

Kimberly Machleit, 38, has been charged with murder for the Dec. 3, 2018, killing of Joseph Martin Govey, 53, in a townhouse on the 2200 block of Professional Parkway in Santa Maria.

She also faces special allegations or sentencing enhancements for the killing, which she is accused of doing with a shotgun.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office dive team found Govey’s skeletal remains in September 2020 in a pond at the Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo. 

Machleit lived at the Santa Maria townhome with boyfriend Donald “Drew” Anderson, Govey and others. Benjamin Mersai, who testified in the trial and took a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter, also stayed at the home.

During her testimony, Machleit said she acted in response to Govey’s actions, including kicking in a bedroom door while wielding a knife.

“Why did you arm yourself with a shotgun and pull the trigger?” defense attorney Jess McHarrie asked. 

“Because he was going to kill my boyfriend,” Machleit said. “He was going to kill us next, and I was scared for my life. I was terrified.”

Machleit testified that Govey had bragged about committing multiple violent crimes. 

Govey, who had ties to the Public Enemy No. 1 gang, introduced himself saying “Call me Evil or Evil One.”

As she testified, a large photo of a shirtless Govey, with a tattoo covering much of his torso, remained displayed on the screen behind Machleit.

Despite her fear of Govey, Machleit said, her boyfriend did not listen to her pleas to get the man out of the house. When she and Anderson moved from Oceano to Santa Maria, Govey wasn’t expected to follow, but eventually moved into the residence, staying first in the garage and then moving into an empty bedroom 

While some aspects of her testimony matched Mersai’s testimony, several parts differed. 

For instance, he said he helped her get down from an attic crawl space where she retrieved a shotgun. Machleit said Mersai helped her climb up and down to get the weapon. 

Mersai testified that Machleit assisted by holding the body still as Anderson used a reciprocating saw to remove the dead man’s legs. Machleit denied assisting or having any knowledge of the dismemberment, saying she only found out two years later from detectives. 

As she answered questions from Deputy District Attorney Madison Whitmore, Machleit became feisty, admitting she didn’t tell the truth to detectives after her arrest. This included initially denying that Govey threatened her and claiming he had pulled a gun on Anderson in the kitchen.

“You had to make Mr. Govey sound as scary as possible, isn’t that true?” Whitmore asked. 

“No, that’s not true,” said Machleit, who answered several of the prosecuting attorney’s questions about the interview with investigator by saying, “I was lying.”

After the shooting, Machleit said she returned to her room to read the Bible and pray, leading Whitmore to ask, “the Bible says thou shall not kill, right?”

The defense objected to the question, with Judge John McGregor sustaining the objection.

Machleit matter of factly outlined her past criminal charges, including a prior felony conviction related to theft and receiving stolen property. 

Current pending cases against her include misdemeanor battery against a female inmate in November 2021, and identity theft, grand theft auto and more from August 2020.

The prosecuting attorney asked Machleit about a trip she and Anderson made to a Jeep dealership to buy a new vehicle while she was wearing a wig and a pregnant belly from a costume, although it wasn’t Halloween.

Jury selection for the trial began in late September, with opening statements occurring Oct. 16. 

The judge told jurors the trial was moving quicker than estimated, and that they could receive the case the week of Oct. 30.