East Bay man charged with killing Capitola girlfriend pleads not guilty

East Bay man charged with killing Capitola girlfriend pleads not guilty

SANTA CRUZ — The El Cerrito man charged with killing his Capitola girlfriend pleaded not guilty to charges Thursday.

Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann (Claire Kamalu Carroll — Contributed) 

Theobald Lengyel, 54, was taken into custody in the weeks after the disappearance of Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, a 61-year-old software engineer. Herrmann, an active outrigger paddler in Santa Cruz, was last seen alive by friends at a regular Dec. 3 club event. After family members reported her missing, Herrmann’s vehicle was located parked at Lengyel’s home in El Cerrito.

Working from a tip, Capitola Police Department detectives worked with partner agencies to unearth human remains believed to be Herrmann’s on Jan. 2 from the East Bay’s Tilden Regional Park.

Lengyel faces felony charges of murder, first-degree burglary and vehicle theft.

Lengyel, playing the saxophone and keyboard, was an early member of the funk-metal band Mr. Bungle, launched in 1985 in Eugene, Oregon. Mr. Bungle co-founder Mike Patton went on to become the lead vocalist for alternative rock band Faith No More.

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After waiving time constraints, Lengyel is scheduled to return to court April 4 before Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Syda Cogliati to set a preliminary hearing date.