LAKEPORT— A Lakeport woman arrested on alleged murder charges was in custody and recently present at the Lake County Superior Court for a settlement conference hearing.
During the hearing an amended information was filed in open court as the People informed the Court that this is an unusual case with the eligibility for probation.
The defendant, Melinda Mildred Fred, 40, entered a no contest plea to voluntary manslaughter.
A no contest plea means the defendant accepts the conviction for the crime without admitting factual guilt.
On the motion of the People, the Court ordered the balance of the Amended Information dismissed in the interest of justice.
The Court advised the defendant that she is prohibited from owning purchasing, receiving, possessing or having under her custody or control any firearms, ammunition, and ammunition feeding devices, including but not limited to magazines.
The matter has been referred to Lake County Probation in order to conduct an investigation for the preparation of a presentencing report.
The matter has been set for a sentencing hearing in June.
The jury trial set for March was vacated and reset for April, which was also vacated.
Earlier this year the settlement/trial readiness conference was continued to March 2024.
Last November the defendant entered a not guilty plea to all counts and denied the special allegations.
The issue of bail was argued and factors were considered, such as criminal history/violence, ability to pay and record of past appearances.
The Court found, by clear and convincing evidence, that no lesser non-monetary condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the public/victim or the defendant’s presence at future hearings.
Bail was set at no bail.
A preliminary hearing was held last year in which the People’s witness, Dean Preader, was sworn in and testified.
The defendant’s exhibits consisted of a collection of certified documents (not used), a black and white Photo and a DVD were all marked and received into evidence.
It appeared to Judge J David Markham that the felony violations have been committed and that there is sufficient cause to believe that the defendant, Melinda Fred, is guilty thereof. It was ordered that the defendant be held to answer to the charges.
In September of 2023 Attorney Thomas C. Quinn, representing the defendant, stated that more discovery was needed before he felt he could proceed to the preliminary examination.
At that time there was no objection by the People to Quinn’s request and the Court found good cause to continue the matter.
During a hearing earlier last year defense counsel, Quinn, withdrew his motion to compel and requested a continuation in this matter. Being there was no objection at that time, the preliminary examination was rescheduled.
A motion to compel is a request for the court to enforce a request for information related to a case.
During a hearing in July of last year, defense counsel appeared remotely and indicated he was not ready for the preliminary hearing as there was outstanding discovery in the matter. He requested then that the matter be continued.
There was no objection to the request for a continuance as the Court found cause to continue the matter, which was continued.
In June 2023 the Court took up the bail review hearing and the probation officer’s assessment was read and considered.
Defense counsel presented exhibits, which were letters in support of the defendant and the victim’s registration under Megan’s Law.
Megan’s Law is the name for a federal law in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. Laws were created in response to the murder of Megan Kanka.
The matter was argued and submitted.
The motion to reduce bail was denied and the Court stated the issue may be revisited after the preliminary hearing.
In May of last year, during an arraignment hearing, the Court appointed Quinn as counsel for the defendant.
Bail was set in the amount of $1 million and bail was not argued at that time.
A copy of the complaint was provided to the defendant by the jail staff.
The defendant was originally charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon that is not a firearm (with gross bodily injury likely) and inflict corporal injury on spouse/cohabitant. In 2024 a charge of involuntary manslaughter was added.
The charges stem from an incident in May of 2023 when Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call in the early morning hours that someone had been stabbed on Red Feather Lane in Lakeport.
According to Lake County Sheriff Lt. Lucas Bingham, deputies located Christopher Aaron Burrows on the ground with a stab wound.
Life-saving measures were unsuccessful as Burrows succumbed to his injuries. He was declared dead at the scene.
Upon an investigation, which included video surveillance and reviews, Melinda Fred was questioned by detectives. She was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail, where she remains with no bail set.
