- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Criminal grand jury indicts Upper Lake man for June murder; insanity plea entered
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week a criminal grand jury indicted an Upper Lake man for the June murder of his girlfriend, with the defendant pleading not guilty by reason of insanity in the case.
The criminal grand jury handed down the indictment in the case of Willy Tujays Timmons, 37, on Wednesday, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.
Timmons is charged with the June 30 murder of 35-year-old Vanessa Yvette Niko, who had three children with Timmons.
A sheriff’s deputy dispatched to a call involving a physical altercation at a home on Bridge Arbor Road in Upper Lake found Timmons assaulting Niko, who died a short time later of her injuries, as Lake County News has reported.
Timmons argued with Niko, beating her to death with a rock and taking off a large portion of her scalp, Anderson said.
Since his June arrest, Timmons has remained in custody, with bail set at more than $1.1 million, according to Lake County Jail booking records.
Anderson said he brought the proceedings involving Timmons before the grand jury rather than proceed through a preliminary hearing because of potentially lengthy delays and other reasons. He was assisted in the grand jury proceedings by Deputy District Attorney Megan Lankford.
In addition to the murder charge, Anderson said the grand jury returned indictments for torture, mayhem and spousal abuse against Timmons.
On Friday Timmons appeared before Lake County Superior Court Judge Andrew Blum and was arraigned on the indictment, Anderson said.
Anderson said Timmons entered a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.
The case is set for further proceedings on Jan. 9, Anderson reported.
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