Authorities Tuesday publicly identified a northern San Diego County woman who died a violent death last week, allegedly at the hands of her adult son.
Deputies responding to a request to check on the welfare of 60-year-old Mireya Pope late Wednesday morning found her dead at her home in the 700 block of North Citrus Avenue in Vista, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.
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Pope's body bore "obvious signs of trauma," sheriff's Lt. Juan Marquez said. Her cause of death has not been released.
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SIGN UP During a subsequent search of the residence north of state Route 78 and east of Santa Fe Avenue, deputies determined that the woman's son, Malcolm Morey Pope, 26, was holed up inside a bedroom, Marquez said. After the suspect allegedly ignored repeated orders to surrender, sheriff's officials called in a SWAT team.
The suspect continued refusing to give himself up through the remainder of the morning and afternoon. Deputies finally were able to get him into custody in the early evening, sheriff's Lt. Sean Gallagher said. Sheriff's officials have disclosed no details about the arrest.
The suspect was booked into county jail in Vista on a murder charge. He was being held without bail pending trial.
The Sheriff's Office has released no suspected motive for the alleged matricide.
Last week, Malcolm Pope pleaded not guilty to murder and an allegation of using a knife in his mother's killing. He faces 26 years to life in state prison if convicted. A criminal complaint filed against him alleges the victim was killed on either April 22 or 23.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that in 2022, Mireya Pope was granted an emergency protective order against her son, after he allegedly pulled her from a vehicle and dragged her into the street.
