CLEARLAKE — Clearlake Police charged Clearlake resident Erik Michael McPherson, 18, Friday with the May 4 stabbing of Nicolai Chukreeff at the Harbor Lite Motel on Lakeshore Drive, according to a Lt. Mike Hermann of the Clearlake Police Department.
“We have more than enough now to charge him, but there are more people we need to interview, more questions to ask and more answers that have to be obtained to solidify the case,” Hermann said.
Police arrested McPherson Wednesday on Woodland Avenue on an unrelated theft warrant, according to a Friday CPD press release. McPherson was a person of interest in the stabbing early in the investigation, and was officially charged with Chukreeff”s murder Friday.
The Lake County District Attorney”s Office will get the department”s initial reports for the weeklong investigation Monday morning, according to Hermann.
Chukreeff was drinking alcohol Sunday evening with a group of people in the gazebo of the Harbor Lite Motel when McPherson arrived, according to the CPD release.
“The victim appeared to be there with several people, the suspect showed up, and some type of argument ensued while the suspect was there,” Hermann said.
The release said McPherson”s motivation for stabbing Chukreeff unknown at this time. It goes on to say that McPherson fled in a red vehicle that was later found.
“We had had lots of contact with him (McPherson), and he had been identified as a suspect in a recent theft case in Clearlake. We got the warrant signed for him Monday for that case,” Hermann said.
A preliminary report from a Tuesday autopsy confirmed that the cause of Chukreeff”s death was the knife wound, according to Hermann. The wound was a deep cut across Chukreeff”s chest, as Hermann previously reported.
“He had a puncture in his heart and his lung,” Hermann said.
No information about the Chukreeff”s relationship to McPherson, the knife or its whereabouts is being released.
“Due to the fact that more investigation and more interviews need to be conducted, the more information we release, the more it can taint the investigation,” Hermann said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call CPD Detective Sgt. Tom Clements at 994-8251.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
