Crime & Safety
Hearing Continued For Man Charged With Murdering Lake Elsinore Mom
Paoletto Wayne Paoletto, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Tanya Marie Petro.
A pre-preliminary hearing for Ronald Wayne Paoletto, accused of murdering a Lake Elsinore mother of two, has been continued in Joshua Tree Superior Court until April 21.
According to Deputy District Attorney Jamie Adams, the continuance was necessary because William Sasnett, Paoletto’s public defender, is in trial on another case. Supervising District Attorney Simon Umscheid said the state is also still waiting on the autopsy report.
A cause of death has not been released.
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Paoletto, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Tanya Marie Petro. Her body was found Jan. 11 in Pipes Canyon Wash near Landers. She was last seen leaving her Lake Elsinore apartment complex with Paoletto, who was her boyfriend. Her family reported her missing Jan. 7.
Appearing before Judge Rod Cortez Wednesday in Joshua Tree, Paoletto bore no traces of the injuries observed in his previous court appearances. At the arraignment on Jan. 14, he had a black eye and bruises and lacerations. At his next court appearance on Jan. 26, Paoletto appeared in a wheelchair.
Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The sheriff’s department later explained the injuries were caused by a traffic collision before the defendant’s arrest.
Paoletto, a registered sex offender, was arrested Jan. 10 in Hesperia on suspicion of violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act. He pleaded not guilty Jan. 14 to the murder charge.
A preliminary hearing scheduled Thursday was vacated and re-scheduled for April 28 at 1:30 p.m.
