SBCDistrictAttorney
On February 7, 2024, the defendant, Kimberly Lynn Machleit, a 39-year-old resident of Santa Maria, California, was sentenced to 10 years plus 25 years to life in the state prison by Judge John McGregor in Department 6 of the Santa Maria Superior Court.
Ms. Machleit was previously found guilty by a jury of First-Degree Murder. The jury also found true the special allegation that Ms. Machleit personally discharged a firearm causing death.
The charges arose from an incident at 2291 Professional Parkway in Santa Maria, California. Ms. Machleit and her boyfriend, Donald Anderson, had an altercation with Joseph Govey, their roommate, on December 3, 2018.
After Joseph Govey went downstairs to the kitchen, Ms. Machleit retrieved a shotgun and followed him downstairs. She shot and killed Mr. Govey in their kitchen. Another roommate, Mr. Anderson, and Ms. Machleit cleaned up the crime scene, cut up Mr. Govey’s body, and concealed Mr. Govey’s body in the reeds at a water hazard at Blacklake Golf Course in Nipomo.
His body was not discovered until 2020 and Ms. Machleit was arrested for the murder by the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Investigation Bureau.
Mr. Anderson remains in state prison after pleading guilty to related charges and receiving a 10 year and 8 month sentence.
Thank you to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s personnel led by Detective DiPinto for superb work on a difficult investigation.
