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Santa Cruz Man Turns Himself In To Police, Allegedly Confesses To Woman's Death

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) – A Santa Cruz man is under arrest for murder after he turned himself in to authorities and allegedly confessed to killing a woman in an RV last month.

On Thursday afternoon, police said the man turned himself in at the Santa Cruz County Jail on Thursday afternoon for an unreported homicide.

After police officers talked to the suspect, they determined a homicide took place. Officers responded to an RV parked on the 100 block of Front Street and found the victim's body inside.

Police have not released the woman's identity pending notification of family.

Santa Cruz homicide suspect Beau Joseph Paepke
Santa Cruz homicide suspect Beau Joseph Paepke (SCPD)

Police said the suspect later provided a confession in which he allegedly admitted to killing the woman on June 28 while the RV was parked on the 900 block of Soquel Avenue, about a mile from where the vehicle was found by authorities.

The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Beau Joseph Paepke, was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on a charge of murder. According to jail records, Paepke is also suspected of violating a protective order and a probation violation.

It was not immediately known when Paepke would make a court appearance.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Trevor Kendall of the Santa Cruz Police Department at 831-420-5963 or by calling the department's tip line at 831-420-5995.

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