A BLACKBURN man accused of murder in California could face the death penalty if he is convicted, the Lancashire Telegraph understands.

Foreign Office officials are carefully monitoring the case of Andrew Brian Sharkey, 35, who is charged with using a wire to strangle 67-year-old Michael Van Tillman in a converted garage in the small town of Guerneville.

While a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison has been reported, it is understood diplomats are concerned because the alleged crime could result in the death penalty, which still operates in California.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed Sharkey, who is understood to have attended Our Lady and St John School in North Road, Blackburn, had been arrested and consular assistance was being provided to him in prison where he is on remand.

In addition to murder, Sharkey has also been charged with elder abuse with great bodily injury, which relates to Mr Tillman’s age and injuries. He had also been stabbed in the neck.

Sharkey was charged with murder along with another man, 56-year-old Gary Allen Scott, of Prescott, Arizona.

The crime has shocked the small close-knit community of Guerneville, which has a population of just 2,400 people.

The tourist town, north of San Francisco, was described by locals as a peaceful resort, 10 minutes from the ocean, where crime is rare.

Nikolas Proctor, who runs an organic grocery store in the town, said: “It’s a tight community, but the population does increase in the summer.

“It’s a beautiful place, with lots of different groups who all get on well. A lot of people come here because they want something quieter.

“We are not accustomed to violence.”

A fishing instructor, who gave his name as JD, said he had recently been to the house where Mr Tillman died.

He said: “I know the man who owns the house he was living in, and I was there three days before it happened.

“I am shocked, but I would need to know the details before I make a judgement.”

Guerneville is also popular with the gay and lesbian community from nearby San Francisco.

It is understood Sharkey, who has lived in the United States for a number of years, used to live in Moorgate Street in Mill Hill, Blackburn, and played pool for the White Bull Inn in Livesey Branch Road.

A man who claimed to be a school friend said: “He was a good friend, and despite a handful of flaws displayed by many members of the human race, had no anger or nastiness in him during the time I knew him, so this accusation came as a surprise to me.”

Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department began investigating the death of Mr Tillman on Saturday. He had been found at his home with what were described as “violent homicidal injuries”.

The final cause of death will be determined once toxicology tests are completed, which may take several weeks.

The body was discovered after Sharkey came to the sheriff’s main office in nearby Santa Rosa to report a possible murder that occurred in the Guerneville area.

After being interviewed, Sharkey was identified by detectives as a suspect and appeared in a preliminary hearing in court on Tuesday where he delayed entering a plea. He is due back in court next Tuesday.

Sgt Tim Duke, of the Sonama County Sheriff’s Department, said Mr Tillman was killed “when a business deal went bad”.