A little more insight on the case........
By TAMMY J. McCOY
The Press-Enterprise
A Murrieta man charged with murder for financial gain was not making mortgage payments at the time authorities say he purchased $1 million in life insurance on his wife, who died a few weeks later, county records show.
Kelle Lee Jarka could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of the April slaying of Isabelle Jarka, his 40- year-old wife and the mother of two.
County records show Kelle Jarka was notified between February and June that his Tamarisk Street house was going into foreclosure and he owed the state nearly $30,000 in taxes and fees.
In early April, he bought life insurance policies worth more than $1 million on his wife, Isabelle, according to Murrieta police. She was bludgeoned to death a few weeks later, on April 28, in the master bedroom with her infant son nearby, police say.
Jarka's attorney, Mark Johnson, said money problems were nothing new for the Jarkas, and it certainly was not the reason for Isabelle Jarka's demise.
"They had been living on the edge financially for years," Johnson said. "I just don't think this was a murder for financial gain."
The Jarkas lived beyond their means, Johnson said. The couple had an expensive boat, a nice house and many creature comforts.
They also had each other, he said.
"They seem to have a loving relationship," Johnson said.
The defense attorney noted that he has taken a personal interest in this case because of the people involved.
"Both of them were good people," he said.
Prosecutor Burke Strunsky declined to comment.
Public records show that bill collectors and notices about Kelle Jarka's debts were coming to the Murrieta home in the weeks and months before Isabelle Jarka's death.
$29,000 Owed to State
Kelle Jarka owed the state $29,141 in incomes taxes and fees from 2005, according to a Feb. 29 notice of a state tax lien filed with the Riverside County recorder's office.
The mortgage went unpaid in March, April and May, according to county records.
Kelle Jarka was notified that foreclosure proceedings were under way and he was behind on his payments by $24,779, according to county records filed in June. The house was in his name alone, the records show.
In November, a credit card company sued Kelle Jarka for failing to pay more than $11,000, according to court records. The company wanted the courts to enforce an arbitrator's decision ordering Kelle Jarka to pay $10,500, the records show.
Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco has not announced whether his office will pursue the death penalty.