Man to stand trial in murder of missing Capitola woman found buried in East Bay park

Theobald Lengyel speaks with attorney Mitchell Page on Tuesday. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)

SANTA CRUZ — A 54-year-old El Cerrito man accused of killing his girlfriend and hiding her body under a pile of rocks in a Berkeley park was held to answer to the charges Wednesday.

After a two-day preliminary hearing Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Nancy de la Peña ruled that the prosecution had provided enough preliminary evidence necessary to send Theobald Lengyel to stand trial. for murder, burglary and vehicle theft.

The family of Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, a 61-year-old computer engineer, reported that the Capitola woman went missing Dec. 12 after she failed to arrive in Hawaii for a scheduled flight. According to testimony, Herrmann last communicated with one of her brothers on December 3 and logged into her employer's work system remotely on December 5. Other members of Outrigger Santa Cruz, who continually attended court hearings, said they saw Herrmann in an office at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor on December 3.

Herrmann's brother, with the help of the Capitola Police Department, gained access to his 43rd Avenue home, where they found Herrmann's wallet, cell phone and smart watch, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing. The Capitola and El Cerrito police departments were involved in early aspects of the case, but Capitola eventually took over the investigation.

A few days earlier, Lengyel shaved his head and beard and sent messages to family members, including his brother in Portland, saying something along the lines of: “Get ready, it's much worse than you could ever imagine,” Capitola Police Detective Zack Currier testified. He then went to Portland, Oregon, to see his brother, to whom he gave his dog and pickup truck, according to testimony. Lengyel would not say what happened, but he cried and sobbed for most of the trip back to California, his brother reportedly told Currier.

During a search of Herrmann's Toyota Highlander, found parked outside Lengyel's home, investigators discovered approximately three spots of Herrmann's blood inside the vehicle's rear compartment, Currier testified. Currier said he later documented purple marks on Lengyel's bicep area that he said looked like an old bruise in the shape of a bite mark.

On Dec. 14, Lengyel arrived at the lobby of the El Cerrito Police Department with legal representation to surrender, El Cerrito Police Department Detective Michael Olivieri testified. Detectives, however, said they did not yet have an arrest warrant and released Lengyel, Olivieri said. Lengyel then allegedly had several lengthy phone conversations with Currier, at one point saying he didn't understand why he hadn't been arrested yet, Currier said.

“He said he was baffled by it and that the Capitola Police Department had made some mistakes,” Currier testified.