A 21-year-old man allegedly tortured and killed his girlfriend in Southern California early Christmas Eve, authorities said.
Saul Nava is being held on $2 million bail in the Ventura County Jail on suspicion of murder, mayhem and torture. The felony of mayhem in California alleges that the suspect “unlawfully and maliciously” disfigures or disables a victim’s body.
Nava is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear Saturday morning if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Saul Nava, 21, is pictured in a photo provided by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Credit: VCSD
The name of Nava’s 24-year-old girlfriend has not been made public. She was pronounced dead in their Thousand Oaks apartment about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home around 1:15 a.m. after getting an emergency call. They found the woman unresponsive and suffering from serious injuries.
Investigators found evidence that the victim had been tortured prior to her death, the sheriff’s office said without providing additional details.
