The El Dorado County district attorney filed murder charges Wednesday against Garden Valley residents Patricia Presba and Jaime Ramos, in connection with the death of Presba's husband.
Presba and Ramos are charged with the murder of Ronald Presba with special circumstance, alleging they intentionally killed the victim for financial gain.
District Attorney Vern Pierson said if convicted, the pair could face the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole.
Pierson declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing the ongoing investigation. Ramos also received an enhancement charge, alleging personal use of a dangerous or deadly weapon. Both were also charged with arson of forestland and arson of personal property.
The pair remained in custody Wednesday in Salt Lake City. They did not waive their right to extradition, which means the El Dorado County district attorney must obtain a governor's warrant to extradite the pair back to California, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bryan Golmitz said.
Officials will have 30 days to extradite them. The mystery of Ronald Presba's death began to unravel when Patricia Presba, 46, was reported missing a week ago. A friend went to the Presbas' home on Meadow Brook Road and found the front door open and covered in blood, sheriff's officials said.
A Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement officer, looking for stolen vehicles at a Salt Lake City motel, found one associated with Patricia Presba.
Presba and Ramos, 21, were arrested over the weekend, about a month after 54-year-old Ronald Presba's burnt-out sports utility vehicle was found in a ravine off Highway 193.
Firefighters made the discovery while battling a wildland fire near Kelsey. A forensic autopsy has not yet confirmed that the severely burned body found in the floorboard of the passenger seat is Presba, but it is presumed to be the Garden Valley man.
Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.
