Sheriff’s office makes arrest for murder of Lucerne man
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — An Occidental man has been arrested for the killing of a Lucerne resident this past summer.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it has officially arrested Nova Maye Deperno, 26, for the murder of Ronald Meluso.
Deperno was arrested on Thursday afternoon and booked into the Lake County Jail. Jail records show he is being held on $1 million bail.
Authorities so far have not suggested a motive in the case.
Meluso, 63, was last heard from on Aug. 18. He was reported as missing to the sheriff’s office on Aug. 22.
In December, the sheriff’s office determined Meluso was the victim of foul play and that Deperno was a person of interest.
Authorities were seeking Deperno for assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and brandishing a firearm, and on Jan. 13, Deperno was taken into custody in Sonoma County, as Lake County News has reported.
After the Jan. 13 arrest, detectives from Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit were able to interview Deperno regarding Meluso’s disappearance.
Deperno provided statements linking him to the disappearance and subsequent murder of Meluso, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said that on Jan. 14, Deperno assisted detectives in locating human remains in a rural area off Bartlett Springs Road in northern Lake County.
The remains are strongly believed to be those of Meluso, and detectives are in contact with Meluso’s family, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said arrangements are being made to confirm positive identification.
Jail records show Deperno is due to appear in Lake County Superior Court on Tuesday.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Detective Jeff Mora at 707-262-4224 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.