Brittany Dawn Killgore, 22, the wife of a Marine, went missing on April 14 in Riverside County, California. Her body has been found and two have been arrested in relation to her death.
By NBCSanDiego.com and news services
A man who was uncooperative with investigators regarding the death of a 22-year-old Fallbrook woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder, the San Diego Sheriff's Department told NBCSanDigo.com.
Louis Ray Perez, 45, was arrested on April 15 for allegedly stealing an AR-15 assault rifle and pleading not guilty to charges on April 18.
Perez was also questioned in the disappearance of Brittany Killgore, who went missing on April 13. Her body was found abandoned near a lake in Riverside County a few days later and deputies arrested Jessica Lopez, 25, in relation to the case. Lopez has been charged with murder and is being held on $3 million bail.
Sheriff's investigators identified the 45-year-old Perez as a person of interest shortly after the body was discovered.
Lopez and Perez had either lived together at one point or lived at the same residence at different times, according to court records. It is unclear whether they knew Killgore.
Perez, a Marine, has been in the military for 16 years, has no criminal history, is married and has lived in the San Diego area for about 10 years, Reichert said in court last week. He is being held on $500,000 bail in Vista, north of San Diego.
Perez was arrested on the weapons charge the day after Killgore disappeared. Prosecutors said he stole the weapon from a man in early February but have not indicated whether they believe it was used to kill Killgore.
Killgore’s body was found near Lake Skinner in Riverside County about 25 miles northeast of her modest apartment complex in Fallbrook, a town of 38,000 people known for its avocado orchards, rolling hills and proximity to Camp Pendleton.
She died less than a week after filing for divorce from Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore, a Marine who was in Afghanistan when she disappeared. She cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing, which gave no other details.
Cory Killgore has not been named as a suspect or person of interest in the killing. The couple married in July 2010.
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