Lompoc woman accused of killing neighbor makes first court appearance

The Lompoc woman accused of killing her 74-year-old neighbor appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday.

Melissa Martin, 35, was in tears for the duration of her first court appearance.

Martin is accused of killing 74-year-old Eldri Jauch. Jauch was reported missing under suspicious circumstances last week. Her body was found in Martin’s apartment and police later arrested Martin outside a Santa Ynez residence.

Martin was charged with murder and use of a deadly weapon. Court documents allege Martin used a baseball bat to kill Jauch.

Martin remains in jail at this time. Her bail was set at $2.02 million. She is due to appear in court again on July 2.