SANTA CRUZ — The only person ever publicly named a suspect in the 2006 murder of a pregnant Ben Lomond woman was arrested this week on two counts of murder.

Michael Patrick McClish, 38, was charged in the slaying of Joanna "Asha" Veil, 28, and her unborn child, Anina. McClish faces two counts of homicide and a special allegation he committed a double murder, which means he could be sentenced to death if convicted.

During a brief court appearance Thursday, McClish — shackled and dressed in standard orange jail jumpsuit — sat behind other inmates in the back corner of the jury box and watched the gallery intently. At least once he appeared to try to communicate with an unidentified supporter.

District Attorney Bob Lee called the double-homicide "a possible death case" but said he and his staff had yet to decide if they will pursue a capital case against McClish, a former resident of Ben Lomond.

McClish's arrest Tuesday marked the beginning of a healing process for the close-knit mountain community where Veil and McClish both lived and worked. San Lorenzo Valley residents, especially women, have expressed concerns about their safety and the progress of the murder investigation for more than a year.

McClish is currently serving a sentence of 18 years to life in Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad after a jury in July found him guilty of raping, sodomizing and threatening an Aptos woman with whom he was having

Advertisement
an affair. McClish's wife filed for divorce in August, and in February she was given sole legal custody of their three children.

The rape charges surfaced during the investigation into Veil's death. Veil was reported missing on Sept. 12. Her body was found two days later on the side of Love Creek Road just outside of Ben Lomond.

Sheriff's officials said McClish allegedly hid Veil's body after killing her. They did not say where she was killed or if her body was moved to the spot where it was found.

Veil, who moved to California in November 2004, was a cashier at the Ben Lomond Market, where McClish was a manager. She was last seen leaving work on Sept. 9 about 7:30 p.m. and apparently met with McClish just prior to her disappearance, according to the sheriff's office. Wowak said McClish later invented an alibi to cover up the meeting.

The Polish immigrant was seven months pregnant with her first child, a daughter later named Anina by her father, Richard Veil of Santa Cruz. Veil was in court Thursday morning, something he said he made a point to do.

"I figured out I definitely had to be here. It's hard," he said. "I had to try to represent my wife and daughter."

Veil learned Wednesday from investigators that his wife of almost two years had been strangled and bludgeoned. Officials from the sheriff's office and the district attorney's office also informed him that DNA testing confirmed Anina was his child.

Sheriff's detectives said Wednesday that McClish and Asha Veil had both a professional and personal relationship, but did not elaborate. After she found out she was pregnant in the spring of 2006, Veil confessed to her husband that she'd had a brief affair with another man but never identified him, Richard Veil said in September 2006.

Although the affair drove the Veils apart — she moved out of their rural Scotts Valley cabin that summer — Richard Veil claimed the unborn girl as his own and named her "Anina" after his estranged wife was killed.

"I've always thought of her as my daughter," Richard Veil said, though he added learning he was her biological father compounded his grief. "It's doubly hard. I have not even come close to healing."

Some local residents said they had long suspected McClish, who was first named a suspect by sheriff's detectives in April 2007.

"I kind of assumed, but until the facts were out I never was going to say yay or nay," said Beth Robinson, who owns Where the Fur Flies in Ben Lomond. She has kept a photo of Veil in the front window of her store since the mother-to-be's disappearance and said it will remain there until the court proceedings have concluded.

"It's a little bit of a relief because now we know there's not someone out there running around this whole time who did this," Robinson said, though she added she has mixed feelings about the situation and empathizes for McClish's family. "It's just really sad, to know someone like that and to work next to them."

Investigators said they used forensic, circumstantial and witness evidence to bring the case against McClish together.

McClish, who was transported Wednesday morning from Soledad, did not enter a plea Thursday. Judge Samuel Stevens denied McClish bail and ordered him back in court May 22 for his arraignment.

Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2499 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.