Crime & Safety
Lakeside Man Arrested on Suspicion of Murdering His Wife
He is in custody after reporting her death and telling authorities he "believed he had killed his wife."
An East County man was in custody today on suspicion of murdering his wife of one year in their home.
Andrew Richard Welch, 45, walked into the sheriff's station in Santee shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday and said he believed he had killed his spouse, homicide Lt. Larry Nesbit said.
Investigators went to the couple's home in the 11300 block of El Nopal in Lakeside and found the body of 43-year-old Tonya Welch inside. Authorities disclosed no suspected cause of death, though Nesbit said the woman's body bore "observable injuries.''
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An autopsy was pending.
Andrew Welch was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into San Diego Central Jail. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
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The couple had been married for just over a year, neighbors told news crews.
Updated Oct. 27 @ 1:00 p.m.
-City News Service
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