A dead man found bizarrely wrapped in Saran wrap has been identified as father of four Lawrence Matthew Brennen Jr., as new details emerge about the suspects accused of concealing his body.
Santa Barbara cops made the grisly discovery Oct. 27 while executing a search warrant following a welfare check request, finding Brennen’s body bundled in a bedroll and stuffed inside a metal container covered in plastic wrap.
Cops then arrested and charged two suspects, 45-year-old Jenica Monique Ochoa and 43-year-old Kenneth Eugene Tompkins, with felony conspiracy and misdemeanor concealment of a dєatᩚh.
The suspects have not been charged with Brennen’s dєatᩚh, and both have pleaded not guilty to the alleged crimes. They have also denied a second strike enhancement involving earlier first-degree burglary convictions.
Prosecutors alleged the pair conspired to conceal Brennen’s dєatᩚh between Oct. 23 and Oct. 27, according to SFGATE.
Both suspects are out on bail with ankle monitors, according to the victim’s sister, Justine Castillo.
Castillo, 28, painted her brother as a hard-working father who was always willing to help others.
“He had a hard life, but he was a survivor,” she told the California Post.
Castillo said Brennen, nicknamed “Shorty,” had four children, including eldest, 21-year-old Jacob.
“Everyone loved him and welcomed him. He was so helpful … he was still grieving my dad and grandma’s dєatᩚh. He was just so happy,” she added.
Brian Giles, who said he was a friend of Brennen’s and had plans scheduled with him, also mourned his dєatᩚh to The Post. He believed his friend was m𝑢rdєred.
“He always had my back, even more than my own brothers. One of my best friends…. I’m in shock,” he wrote on Facebook.
Castillo also believes Brennen was m𝑢rdєred before the alleged perpetrators hid his body. Brennen had a relationship with Ochoa, she said, and the pair allegedly had a falling out.
Castillo and Brennen’s mother, Valerie De La Cruz, who Castillo claims is homeless and a drug user, also knew Ochoa personally. De La Cruz allegedly used drugs with Ochoa, Castillo claimed, and the family believes she is also allegedly involved with Brennen’s dєatᩚh.
Brennen’s sister said she didn’t know much about the second suspect, Tompkins, but that she has seen him in court.
Castillo placed the blame on Ochoa as who she believes is the chief suspect.
“I have no doubt in mind Jenica is the main suspect,” she said.
Ochoa told Brennen’s sister that he owed her rent money, according to Castillo.
Another family member told The Post that there’s a large amount of speculation surrounding his dєatᩚh and much is unclear. The family member expressed dismay that both suspects are out on bail as the family grieves, with a memorial vigil set for Friday.
Castillo said an autopsy was done Wednesday on her brother, but toxicology results are still pending. Brennen’s cause of dєatᩚh is unknown.
Brennen’s family and a close friend believe his dєatᩚh could have been from being intentionally exposed to drugs, but officials have not released any details suggesting that.
His dєatᩚh is considered to be under suspicious circumstances. Police have described the investigation as “intricate.”
The family has set up a memorial at the crime scene in the 100 block of Los Aguajes Avenue, which they say is Ochoa’s residence.
The suspects are set to return to Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Nov. 30 for a preliminary hearing to be scheduled.
His loved ones want justice after police found Brennen dead and mysteriously concealed.
“I hope that the people who did this get exactly what they deserve,” Giles wrote.
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