A Honolulu man was rearrested on suspicion of murder on Aug. 26 following the death of his mother, who had previously been hospitalized after her son allegedly attacked her in Santa Paula days earlier.
Christopher Lample, 35, was charged with felonies for assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder in Ventura County Superior Court on Aug. 24, court records show. He did not enter a plea.
Lample allegedly attacked his mother, Mary Mueller, 65, of Santa Paula in the 18000 block of East Telegraph Road shortly before 11 a.m. on Aug. 20, according to the Santa Paula Police Department.
Mueller was found outside suffering from major head injuries and was transported to a hospital in critical condition. She died from those injuries the morning of
Aug. 26, the police department said.
Lample fled but was arrested in Goleta hours after the attack, police said. At the time, he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, but following the death of his mother, he was rearrested for murder, police said.
Along with the charges, Lample faces several special allegations including domestic violence with great bodily injury and that the crime involved great violence, court records show. Such allegations carry with them the possibility of increased jail time if found guilty.
He remains in Ventura County jail with bail set at $2 million, jail records show. He has a Ventura County Superior Court hearing scheduled on Aug. 28.
The police department is investigating the homicide and has requested that anyone with information call Detective Mario Escalante at 805-826-2930.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man arrested for alleged murder following Santa Paula mother's death
