Coroner identifies woman allegedly killed by house guest

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office released the identity of the woman killed in Palm Springs Monday afternoon.

75-year-old Claire Carsman of Palm Springs was found dead inside a home on the 300 block of Pico Road Monday at around 6 p.m. Police said Carsman suffered from “significant trauma.”

Stephen McKernan, 75, was also found at the residence. McKernan was arrested at 8:15 p.m. after investigators determined that McKernan was responsible for the homicide, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

PSPD revealed in a news release that McKernan was a house guest in a home on Pico Road. Neighbors said McKernan was staying Carsman and her husband, who he knew for several years.

McKernan is being held in the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta on first-degree murder charges. According to jail records, he is being held on $1 million bail and will appear in court on Thursday.