SLO man allegedly killed roommate with baseball bat

November 19, 2015

A San Luis Obsipo man used a knife and a baseball bat to murder his roommate, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

Charles Chad Giese, 40, allegedly killed his roommate Walter Ernest Vallivero, 54, at their home after an argument escalated on Sunday. Vallivero died of blunt force trauma, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Giese with murder and an enhancement that alleges Giese used a baseball bat and a knife in the commission of the crime.

The sheriff’s office, which investigated the case, has released few details about how Giese allegedly killed Vallivero.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, deputies responded to a report of a suspicious death at a home in a trailer park in unincorporated San Luis Obispo near the airport. Deputies found Vallivero’s body and arrested Giese after conducting a brief investigation.

The Tribune reports Giese admitted to a sheriff’s detective that he killed Vallivero during an argument on Sunday. The detective, Nathan Paul, disclosed the admission in a court document filed Wednesday with the criminal complaint.

The document also states deputies found evidence at the home indicating Vallivero died by “traumatic means.”

Giese is due to appear in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Thursday at 8:30 for an arraignment. Giese is still being held without bail at San Luis Obispo County Jail.