LAKE COUNTY — Morgan Matthew Jack, 31, was arraigned Friday in Lake County Superior Court for the murder of respected community member Paul Joseph Womachka, according to Richard Hinchcliff, the deputy district attorney who is prosecuting the case.
Jack is in custody at the Lake County Jail as of 3:55 p.m. Thursday. He was transported from the California state prison at San Quentin, where he was held on an unrelated parole violation, according to a Feb. 14 press release written by Lt. Dave Garzoli, Lake County Sheriff investigations branch director.
Lake County Superior Court Judge Richard Martin issued a murder warrant for Jack”s arrest for Womachka”s murder Feb. 8, according to a Friday statement chief deputy James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff”s Department.
“He (Jack) was arraigned on the murder charge with the use of a knife and some special allegations of prior prison terms,” Hinchcliff said.
Three special allegations apply to the murder charge. In addition to the allegation that Jack used a knife in Womachka”s alleged murder, the DA”s office is alleging that Jack served two prior prison terms for felony convictions. One conviction was for drug possession, the other was for passing an illegal check or checks. Both were in Lake County, according to Hinchcliff.
“It”s up to a jury to determine if he (Jack) is guilty, and if he is, whether its first or second degree murder,” Hinchcliff said. He added that if convicted, Jack could face 25 years to life in prison for first-degree murder, or 15 years to life for second-degree murder. Both sentences would include the possibility of parole. The three special allegations could add a year each, Hinchcliff said.
“At this point, we have not entered a plea, which is normal in a case such this. I was just handed the police reports today and first saw the criminal complaint today ? which is the charging document ? so I requested to put it over two weeks for entry of plea so I could review the police reports. There is a large amount of discovery in this case,” Jack”s defense attorney Stephen Carter said.
Jack was arrested for a parole violation at Konocti Vista Casino the night Womachka”s body was found inside his submerged Hey Taxi in the adjoining marina, according to a September 2007 LCSD statement.
A condition of Jack”s parole was that he not be under the influence of alcohol.
The murder complaint was filed with the court on Feb. 7, according to a Lake County Superior Court clerk.
Charges listed on Jack”s booking detail sheet, found at www.lakesheriff.com, include a first-degree murder charge and a felony parole violation No bail amount is listed for the parole violation charge. Bail for the first-degree murder charge was set at $530,000. According to Carter, Lake County Superior Court Judge Arthur Mann upheld the bail amount.
Jack is on a parole hold at the Lake County Jail, meaning that he will not be released for posting bail for the murder charge, according to jail staff. Jack will appear in court for entry of a plea on March 14 before Lake County Superior Court Judge Richard Martin.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
