Man arrested after Newport woman’s death

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Police on Thursday arrested a 31-year-old man on

suspicion of murdering his housemate, officials said.

William Foster Armendizo was arrested after the Orange County coroner

conducted an autopsy on 29-year-old Jessica Heather Martin and concluded

the cause of her death was “mechanical smothering and blunt-force trauma

to the head.”

Newport Beach police arrived at Armendizo’s home on Dauphine Street at

9:22 a.m. Monday, responding to his 911 call to report Smith, whom he was

living with, was not breathing, Sgt. Steve Shulman said.

Police investigated the death and arrested Armendizo after the coroner

released preliminary reports. The coroner is conducting additional

toxicology tests, he said.

Police arrested Armendizo based on “trauma to his body” and his

statements, Shulman said.

“As a result of that, officers believed he committed the crime,” he

said.

Shulman declined to elaborate on the evidence. Armendizo is being held

in Newport Beach City Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. He is scheduled to

be arraigned Monday.

No further information about their relationship or the circumstances

of the alleged crime were available Friday.

The homicide is the second in the city this week. There were none last

year or earlier this year. There were two in 2000.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .