Photo: Stock Image
Image of suspect Anthony Kevin Larks | Santa Barbara County Jail
The Holiday Season always manages to bring a certain amount of stress to families, whether it’s merely the pressure of finding the right Christmas gift for a loved one or the anticipation of starting the New Year with a clean slate and the attendant need to eliminate those things in life which might be an impediment to emotional well-being.
Whether or not that hypothesis was behind the alleged actions of 60-year-old Santa Maria resident Anthony Kevin Larks in the early morning hours of December 22nd remains an open question. What is known, however, is the fact that Larks’ wife Johannes Katya Johnson, 43, was suffering from a fatal gunshot wound when Santa Maria Police Department patrol officers entered the Larks home pursuant to what SMPD spokesman Detective Kevin Ochoa described as “a reported domestic disturbance” at 6:30 a.m.
Responding officers immediately conducted “lifesaving measures” to no avail; “Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.” With no others in the home at the time of the shooting, Larks was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail, where he was booked on a charge of murder. He remains in custody, with his bail set at $2,000,000.
