THOUSAND OAKS : Suspect in Woman’s Slaying Is Indicted

A 22-year-old Van Nuys man has been indicted on a murder charge by the Ventura County Grand Jury in the Oct. 4 death of Ellen Cleary, 37, of Thousand Oaks.

The indictment ordered a trial for Timothy John Velasco on one count each of murder and use of a deadly or dangerous weapon in Cleary’s death. Cleary’s nude body was found in the bathtub of her home last week after Velasco reportedly confessed to police that he killed her. Cleary had been strangled and her throat had been cut with a steak knife, authorities said.

Details of Velasco’s relationship with Cleary remain hazy, but authorities have said they were boyfriend and girlfriend and that they had known each other for about three years.

Deputy Public Defender William McGuffey said Thursday that he plans to have a psychiatrist examine Velasco to determine the man’s mental condition.

McGuffey also said he is “a little disappointed” that he wasn’t told that the grand jury was indicting his client Wednesday afternoon, even as Velasco was pleading not guilty in Municipal Court.

However, Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol J. Nelson said, “I feel very comfortable it wasn’t a case that prejudiced his rights.” She said an indictment such as this “is a way to avoid strain on the victim’s family and probably on the defendant’s family also.”

This was the first murder indictment handed up in Ventura County since 1976.

Velasco is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court on Nov. 7.