The woman shot to death Saturday afternoon in the driveway of an Alpine home was identified Monday as the 27-year-old girlfriend of the man suspected in her killing.
Gunfire was reported at around 2:15 p.m. in the 2800 block of Victoria Drive, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The Alpine sheriff's substation received several calls about a man, later identified as Paul Paraschak, allegedly running around shooting a gun.
When officials arrived, they found Melanie Benitez lying by the passenger side of a car in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds, Lt. Rich Williams said.
Benitez was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
Paraschak, 42, was found about a half mile away and was taken into custody. Deputies said they found two handguns on him.
The suspect may face one count of first-degree murder, SDSO said.
Deputies said Benitez was Paraschak's live-in girlfriend and that the two lived together in Alpine, though not at the home where Benitez was found.
Kim Kramer, who owns the house where Benitez was found, told NBC 7 she did not know who the dead woman was and didn't know where the car came from. She said she never thought someone would be shot to death in her driveway.
"Not in my neighborhood, not at my house," she said. "My grandkids are here all the time. I'm grateful they weren't there (at the time of the shooting)."
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Kramer was not home when the shooting happened. She received a call from deputies saying they needed to search her home as a precaution.
"I gave them my keys so they could go in and take a look at the house," she said. "I don't want to go and check the house but nobody was there so that's a good thing."
Paraschak is being held without bail.
Anyone with any information about the shooting was urged to contact the Sheriff's Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330, after hours at (858) 565-5200, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
