Woman Strangled to Death, Coroner Says

A 37-year-old woman whose nude body was found in a Westlake condominium died of strangulation, Deputy Coroner Craig Stevens reported Friday after an autopsy.

Timothy Velasco, 22, of Van Nuys told Los Angeles police that he killed his girlfriend and gave them details that led sheriff’s deputies to Ellen Cleary’s condominium in the 1100 block of Bright Glen Circle, authorities said.

Ventura County sheriff’s investigators found Cleary’s body Thursday afternoon in a bathtub in a small amount of water, Lt. Joe Harwell said. Officials do not know whether she was taking a bath or was placed there by the killer.

Although there were no obvious signs of trauma, Cleary’s neck bore a series of small cuts that may have been made by a kitchen knife found at the scene, Harwell said. The wounds did not contribute to her death, he said.

Investigators, however, do not know the motive. There were no signs of a violent struggle, Harwell said. Velasco was apparently a guest in the Cleary’s home before the slaying, he said.

Velasco told authorities he had known Cleary for three years and that she was his girlfriend, Harwell said. However, both of them also saw other people, he said.

Velasco, a 1988 graduate of Independence High School in Van Nuys, sought the advice of a school office manager before turning himself in, Principal Cynthia Gladstone said. Velasco, like many graduates of the continuation high school, often comes back to visit and “he may have felt safe in coming here,” Gladstone said.