A Santee man accused of abusing and killing his elderly mother last year was arrested and arraigned on charges of first degree murder, a sheriff’s lieutenant said.
The District Attorney‘s office filed formal charges Wednesday against Michael Morse, 50, for the killing of his 73-year-old mother last October, Lt. John Maryon said. Sheriff’s deputies arrested Morse about 1 p.m. Wednesday at his residence in the 7900 block of Arly Court in Santee.
Sheriff‘s records showed that Morse was booked into county jail at 4:44 p.m. Wednesday, and according to Maryon he was arraigned and charged with first degree murder at an El Cajon courtroom Friday.
Morse was being held on $1 million bail and further court proceedings were scheduled for Monday in El Cajon, sheriff’s records showed.
An investigation into the Oct. 19 death of Morse’s mother, Louise Morse, and a Medical Examiner’s autopsy of the woman’s body determined she had died from complications of elder abuse, and the cause of death was homicide, Maryon said.
Morse reported his mother’s death when he called 911 about 7:05 that evening, and said he discovered Louise Morse dead in the residence at Arly Court, Maryon said. A dispatcher instructed Morse to conduct CPR, and fire personnel took over the resuscitation efforts when they arrived, but Luoise Morse was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m.
Morse’s arrest for the nearly 11-month-old crime on Wednesday came the same day deputies arrested three suspects in connection with a 2012 murder in Imperial Beach.
—City News Service
