Woman found guilty of murdering man whose remains were found in SLO County golf course pond

A Santa Maria Superior Court jury found a woman guilty of first-degree murder for the 2018 fatal shooting of a man whose dismembered skeletal remains were found in a golf course water hazard.

Kimberly Machleit, 39, was 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.

Jurors also deemed as true a sentencing enhancement for the killing, which she is accused of doing with a sawed-off 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 after being led there by Benjamin Mersai, 36, of Grover Beach.

Mersai testified during Machleit’s trial, a requirement of his plea deal for voluntary manslaughter and a three-year sentence related to this case.

Machleit lived at the Santa Maria townhome with boyfriend Donald “Drew” Anderson, Govey and another man, Mersai, who was brought in to help deter Govey during his outbursts in the residence.

While Machleit fired the fatal shot, all three participated in disposing of the body after Govey’s legs were removed with a reciprocating saw, according to investigators. Attorneys on both sides had different opinions on whether Machleit helped or even knew about the dismemberment before her arrest.

During closing arguments attorneys focused on the testimony of Mersai, who revealed the crime to detectives.

“The difference is only Benjamin Mersai came clean. Only Benjamin Mersai unraveled this plan for them and told the truth,” Deputy District Attorney Madison Whitmore said.

Machleit fired one shot, hitting Govey in the face while he stood in the kitchen across from Anderson. He had the 8-inch knife, but the defense and prosecuting attorneys differed on whether he held the weapon and Machleit had acted in self defense, or if Govey had placed it in a back pocket.

“She wasn’t standing her ground. She was hunting him down,” Whitmore said.

Whitmore contended the defendant’s involvement in hiding the body showed she knew she was guilty.

Defense attorney Jess McHarrie urged the panel to consider Mersai’s motive for testifying, claiming he was in self-preservation mode.

“If he testifies truthfully — whatever that is — he gets to walk out of the jail,” McHarrie said.

The defense attorney also noted Govey’s history of being violent, volatile and vicious, claiming that he terrorized Machleit.

“His violent character is everything in this case,” McHarrie said of the Govey, an enforcer in the Public Enemy No. 1 gang.

“She’s not a cold-blooded killer. She pulled that trigger because she’s terrified,” McHarrie said of Machleit.

In reaching their verdict, the six men and six women rejected the defense attorney’s push to find Machleit not guilty of all charges including lesser offenses of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter.

Jury selection in the case began in late September and the panel began deliberating Monday afternoon. The middle of the trial experienced COVID-19 related delays and a break for Thanksgiving.

Machleit will return to court Jan. 9 for her sentencing when she faces up to 25 years to life in prison for first-degree murder and 25 years to life for the sentencing enhancement.

A sentencing hearing for Mersai tentatively has been scheduled for December.

Anderson has been sentenced to spend 10 years and eight months in state prison with the majority of the time related to charges of possessing methamphetamine and a firearm. He also was sentenced for being an accessory in the killing of Govey.

Anderson, 40, is incarcerated in Ironwood State Prison in Blythe.

In addition to the homicide case, Machleit still faces felony charges for a 2020 case of possessing firearms and ammunition.

Last year, she picked up a misdemeanor case alleging she committed battery against another person in custody at the Santa Barbara County Jail.

The cases are pending awaiting the outcome of the homicide trial.

Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

This story was originally published November 29, 2023 at 6:59 PM.