Nevada City man, 64, suspected of killing his girlfriend before trying to take own life

A Nevada City man is suspected of killing his girlfriend on Saturday, then fleeing the scene and attempting to take his own life in Arden Arcade, according to a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Kenneth Breining, 64, is suspected in the death of 58-year-old Mary Moran, with whom he lived on the 12000 block of Half Moon Way in Nevada City.

Breining underwent emergency surgery at a Sacramento-area hospital Sunday after Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputies found him with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Nevada County deputies responded to a 911 call at 5:08 p.m. Saturday from one of Moran’s relatives, who had found the woman fatally shot in her bedroom, according to the news release.

Breining was identified as a suspect, and investigators soon came to believe he had fled toward Sacramento. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office then responded to a call of a shooting at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday and found Breining in a residence on Pasadena Avenue in the northeast corner of Arden Arcade, with his car parked outside.

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate the case Sunday alongside the California Department of Justice.