Grover Beach man pleads guilty to manslaughter months after body found at Nipomo golf course
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office reported that a Grover Beach man arrested in connection to the body found at a Nipomo golf course last year pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter charges.
The DA's Office said Benjamin Mersai, 34, is likely to receive a sentence of between three and six years. However, sentencing has been deferred until the other suspects in the crime have their cases resolved.
Mersai was arrested on Sep. 28, one week after the body of Joseph Martin Govey was found in a pond at the Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo.
Govey, a Santa Maria man, was 53 years old when his family last heard from him in 2018. A missing person report was filed in Orange County by August of 2019.
Several individuals have been arrested in connection to this case including Santa Maria residents Kimberly Machleit and Donald Anderson. Both faced murder-related charges in September 2020.
A third suspect was arrested on Sept. 28 at the golf course where Govey's body was found.
Mersai is currently being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail.
Anyone with information about this crime is urged to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 805-681-4171. You can also make an anonymous tip online.
