Man to Be Arraigned in Girlfriend’s Killing

A Ventura man who has been the main suspect in the Aug. 23 strangulation death of his girlfriend was arrested Monday on suspicion of murder.

Tommy Ray Welch, 43, was already in jail in connection with unspecified probation violations, said supervising Dist. Atty. Richard Holmes, who oversees the department’s major crimes division. Welch is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

Police allege that Welch killed Marsha Rockvam, also of Ventura, while she was staying at the Ventura Inn. She had called police for help after Welch allegedly forced his way into her hotel room. Police said the couple quarreled and Welch allegedly fled. Officers tried to persuade Rockvam to go to a women’s shelter, but she refused.

The next morning, the operators of the Ventura Inn, 487 E. Main St., called police because they were concerned about Rockvam’s well-being. Police forced open the door, which was barricaded with furniture, and found Rockvam’s body on the bed. The Ventura County coroner’s office ruled the cause of death as asphyxiation by strangulation.

A day later, police found Welch suffering from apparently self-inflicted cuts to his wrists. Welch was treated at Ventura County Medical Center, then booked into County Jail in connection with a parole violation.

“We feel we have more than enough evidence at this time to file a charge of murder,” Holmes said. “There were several things that needed to be clarified, and they have been.”