Erik McPherson has been charged with the Sunday murder of Nicolai Chukreeff in Clearlake. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE – Clearlake Police have arrested the man they believe is responsible for a Sunday night murder.

Erik Michael McPherson, 18, of Clearlake has been arrested and charged with stabbing to death 40-year-old Nicolai Chukreeff, also of Clearlake, in an incident at the Harbor Lite Motel, according to a report from Lt. Mike Hermann.

Hermann said McPherson had been a person of interest in the homicide since early on in the investigation.

Police arrested McPherson Wednesday on an unrelated theft warrant after they found him walking on Woodland Avenue in Clearlake. Hermann said McPherson later was booked into the Lake County Jail on the warrant after being questioned about Chukreeff's murder.

Hermann said police charged McPherson with Chukreeff's homicide on Friday.

According to Hermann, Chukreeff and several other people had been having drinks in the Harbor Lite's gazebo on Sunday night when McPherson arrived.

An argument of some kind between McPherson and Chukreeff ensued, said Hermann. It's still unknown what led McPherson to allegedly stab Chukreeff.

A Tuesday autopsy said that Chukreeff died as the result of a single stab wound to the chest, as Lake County News has reported.

McPherson fled from the scene in a red vehicle that police issued a be-on-the-lookout advisory for on Sunday night. Hermann said the vehicle has since been located.

The case, said Hermann, will be submitted to the Lake County District Attorney's Office Monday morning for review.

Clearlake Police are continuing to investigate the murder, Hermann said.

“We still have a lot more interviews to do,” he said, adding that they'll also be re-interviewing everyone they've talked to so far.

However, Hermann said police had enough evidence to charge McPherson with the murder on Friday.

Police aren't discussing if Chukreeff and McPherson – both of whom worked in construction – knew each other, said Hermann.

However, McPherson was well-known to Clearlake Police, with Hermann reporting that officers had had many contacts with the teenager, who remains in jail on a no-bail hold.

Anyone with information about this are asked to contact Detective Sergeant Tom Clements at 994-8251.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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