Suicide in Huntington link to 2 Newport-Mesa murders

Deepa Bharath

Two murders and a suicide later, Costa Mesa police have found a link

between a man found dead in a motel room Sunday and a woman who killed

herself in Huntington Beach Friday after posting bond on a murder charge,

officials said Tuesday.

Newport Beach police arrested Karen Mandilk, 41, on suspicion of

killing 42-year-old Paul Strazicich of Anaheim on May 16 after she called

dispatchers and reported that she had shot a “house guest” when he tried

to attack her with a knife.

Detectives arrived at Mandilk’s home in the gated Newport Bluffs

Apartment Village and found Strazicich shot to death. Police said Mandilk

was arrested based on her statements and physical evidence found at the

scene.

Mandilk was held in Orange County Jail until she was released May 18

after she posted a $250,000 bail. Officials said that about 9:45 p.m.

Friday, Mandilk went to a public shooting range in Huntington Beach,

rented a gun and shot herself to death there.

Meanwhile on Sunday, police found 42-year-old Neal Daniel Sheldon

lying dead in a room at Countryside Inn & Suites in Costa Mesa. On

Tuesday, police discovered that Sheldon and Mandilk lived together in her

Newport Beach apartment. Officials said their investigation showed

Sheldon checked into the hotel room on May 21.

Initial reports from the Orange County coroner reveal Sheldon died of

head injuries and that he may have died sometime between Thursday and

Friday, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

“The coroner is carrying out more tests to pin down the exact time of

death,” he said. “We believe that would help us either implicate or

eliminate [Mandilk] as a suspect in this case.”

Also, a big challenge facing detectives now is to determine the nature

of the relationship between Sheldon and Mandilk.

“It’s too early to say anything yet,” Birney said. “There is a lot of

evidence that still needs to be processed and several people who need to

be interviewed.”

Newport Beach police are still investigating Strazicich’s death, said

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman.

“If our detectives are satisfied that [Mandilk] was responsible for

his death, obviously the case won’t go to trial,” he said.

Sheldon’s death is being treated as a murder investigation, Birney

said.

“His wounds were clearly not self-inflicted,” he said. “What remains

to be seen is if [Mandilk] was responsible.”

Birney said the case is convoluted to say the least.

“It’s strange that you have a woman arrested for murder post bond and

then she’s dead,” he said. “Then someone else associated with her is

dead. The best way I can describe it is unusual.”

* 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 .