Suspect Charged in 2nd Slaying

A Reseda man charged with killing his Emmy award-winning father now faces a second murder charge in the death of his girlfriend, prosecutors said Thursday.

Matthew Marky, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders, attempted murder of a roommate and two weapons’ violations, Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Ann Marie Wise said.

Los Angeles police initially said Marky’s girlfriend, Maria Ruiz-Smeriglio, died of a drug overdose several hours before Marky allegedly shot his father in the head on Aug. 5. But an autopsy later showed she had been strangled, Deputy Dist. Atty. Dale Cutler said.

That night, authorities said, Marky fatally shot his father, William Marky, 63, after an argument in the elder Marky’s backyard in the 18900 block of Valerio Street.

The father, a sound technician, won an Emmy in 1982 for outstanding achievement in film sound mixing for the long-running television series “Hill Street Blues.” He also worked on the TV show “Doogie Howser, M.D.”

After allegedly shooting his father, Marky ran next door to a house he shared with Ruiz-Smeriglio and the home’s owner, Scott Hinkley, authorities said. Police surrounded the house and Marky surrendered peacefully about two hours later.

Inside, Marky allegedly tried to kill Hinkley before the roommate escaped through a bathroom window, authorities said.

“He pointed the gun [at Hinkley] and fired, and the gun apparently misfired,” Cutler said.

If convicted of both murders, Marky faces a minimum of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The district attorney’s office is considering whether to seek the death penalty, Cutler said.

Marky pleaded not guilty to the new charges Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Van Nuys. He is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in lieu of $1.2-million bail.

According to court records, Marky was convicted of making terrorist threats in 1998 and injuring a child in 1995.

His attorney, Randalph Kincaid, declined to comment Thursday.