FERNLEY - A man arrested on homicide charges calmly directed deputies to his roommate's bloodied body in an upstairs bathroom, an official said Thursday.
"Deputies made entrance into the home, and he was sitting there and said, 'What you're looking for is upstairs,'" Lyon County Sheriff's Lt. John Arndell said.
Scott Lecoque, 34, is being held in the Lyon County Jail on a charge of "open murder." Arndell said the charge could be changed to reflect premeditation or first- or second- degree murder, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
The victim, a 72-year-old retired Reno security guard, died sometime Wednesday from "blunt-force trauma," according to an autopsy conducted Thursday in Washoe County. His name is being withheld until investigators can locate family in either California or Idaho.
Deputies were sent to 223 Mary Lou Lane about 2 p.m. after an out-of-town caller requested a welfare check, Arndell said.
Lecoque allegedly refused to comment to police after telling deputies to look upstairs. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
A third roommate was not at home when police arrived.
Arndell said during a search, evidence, including the possible murder weapon, was seized from the tidy, four-bedroom home next to the Fernley Golf Course. A motive has not yet been determined, he said.
Lecoque has allegedly lived at the home for a few months and is attending adult-education classes.
He is being held without bail in the Lyon County Jail in Yerington. A criminal complaint charging Lecoque with open murder with an elderly enhancement was filed Thursday. An enhancement doubles the penalty should the case go before a judge.
Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.
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