O.C. man charged in ax slaying of stepmother due in court

By Emily Foxhall and Paloma Esquivel

Aug. 13, 2013 8:10 AM PT

A 21-year-old man from Lake Forest charged with murdering his stepmother with an ax is expected in court Tuesday for his arraignment.

Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrested the man, Oscar Luis Morlett, just before noon Friday.

Morlett was apprehended about two miles from the Foothill Ranch residence where his stepmother, Jeanne Ellen Morlett, 66, was found dead Friday morning, according to Orange County prosecutors.

Prosecutors say the unemployed stepson used “a type of ax” to kill her. In addition to the murder charge, he faces a sentencing enhancement over the use of a deadly weapon.

Oscar Morlett was held in lieu of $1-million bail at Central Jail in Santa Ana. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 26 years to life in state prison, according to prosecutors.

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Twitter: @emfoxhall / @PalomaEsquivel

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Paloma Esquivel

Paloma Esquivel is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She was on the team that won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for public service for investigating corruption in the city of Bell and the team that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for coverage of the San Bernardino terror attack. Prior to joining The Times in 2007, she was a freelance writer, worked in Spanish-language radio and was an occasional substitute teacher. A Southern California native, she graduated from UC Berkeley and has a master’s in journalism from Syracuse University.

O.C. man charged in ax slaying of stepmother due in court

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