Police Arrest Husband in Death of Wife at O.C. Motel

A man who dialed 911 to report that his wife had just committed suicide in their motel room Thursday morning was arrested later in the day in connection with her death, police said.

Police found the body of Michelle D. Harsa, 33, on a bed in a room the couple were renting at the HoJo Motel on Katella Avenue.

Harsa appeared to have died from a gunshot wound to the head. Her husband, Tyrone Casey Hyla, 42, was in the room when police arrived at 9 a.m. and told authorities that his wife had shot herself, Orange Police Lt. Trey Sirks said.

“Upon completion of their investigation, homicide investigators determined that the death was not a suicide, but, in fact, a murder,” Sirks said.

Hyla was arrested late Thursday afternoon while he was being interviewed by investigators at the Orange Police Department, Sirks said.

The couple had been married for seven months and had been living in the motel for a month. They had previously been residents of Garden Grove.

The weapon used in the shooting, a large-caliber handgun, was recovered by police inside the motel room. Sirks said there are no other suspects in the case.

Hyla was being held at Orange County Jail on Thursday night on suspicion of murder.

Management at the motel refused to comment on the slaying.