Not-Guilty Plea Is Entered in ’97 Slaying

A 45-year-old Ventura man who spent the past two years in a state mental institution was declared competent Tuesday and ordered to stand trial on charges of strangling his girlfriend in 1997, according to court records.

During an arraignment Tuesday afternoon, Tommy Ray Welch pleaded not guilty to charges of killing Marsha Rockvam, 45, of Ventura on Aug. 23, 1997. He remained in jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Rockvam called police the day before her death after Welch allegedly forced his way into her room at the Ventura Inn on Main Street. Police said the couple quarreled and Welch fled.

Officers tried to persuade Rockvam to go to a women’s shelter that night, but she refused. The next morning, hotel employees called police because they were concerned about Rockvam’s well-being.

When officers arrived, they had to force their way in the door, which was barricaded with furniture. They found Rockvam’s strangled body on the bed.

Several hours later, officers received a call of an injured man on Santa Clara Street and found Welch with self-inflicted cuts to his wrists. He was treated at a local hospital and jailed on parole violations.

Three months later, Welch was charged in the slaying but was declared incompetent to stand trial and sent to Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino County for treatment.

A trial date has been scheduled for April 3.