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A Southern California man has been arrested in connection with an unsolved murder that occurred 41 years ago.
Michael Larry Manatt, 70, of Huntington Beach, was taken into police custody Friday.
He is accused of murdering Ronald Guskey, who was found dead in his Newport Beach home on December 13, 1983.
Gaskett, who was 35 years old at the time, was a construction worker who lived in the 400 block of Lugonia Avenue. According to the Orange Coast Daily Pilot, his ex-girlfriend was asked to check on him when he failed to show up for work at a construction site in Hollywood.
The woman found Guskey lying face down in the hallway on the second floor of her home. He had been hit in the head and face with an unknown object. A subsequent autopsy revealed Guskey was punched once in the back of the head and three times in the face, the Daily Pilot reported.
He died about two hours after the beating. Police said there was blood on the door, but the home did not appear to have been ransacked and there were no signs of a fight or violent struggle.
Loved ones and neighbors described Mr. Guskey as someone who was very concerned about security and over the years built walls, trees and bushes to protect his home.
Police said the front door was found closed, but Guskey’s ex-girlfriend unlocked it when they arrived.
Detectives later determined that the suspect was likely someone Guskey knew, according to the Daily Pilot.
“He was very security conscious and it was clear that this was someone he knew and had invited into his home,” said a Newport Beach police officer.
He reportedly had an elaborate alarm system and several neighbors told police it was inappropriate for him to leave his front door unlocked.
No murder weapon was found at the scene, and no suspect was found.
Over the years, Newport Beach detectives interviewed Guskey from his home and collected evidence, but the suspect remained elusive.
The case was recently reopened, and after analyzing reports, examining evidence, and conducting additional interviews, detectives identified Manatt as a suspect in the murder. Details of his relationship with Guskey have not been disclosed by investigators.
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On December 6, Manatt was arrested on suspicion of murder. He is being held on $1 million bail.
This incident is still under investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Kyle Markwald at 949-644-3762 or kmarkwald@bpd.org.
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