Slaying Suspect Appears in Court

CAMARILLO — After weeks in the hospital in critical condition, the man accused of fatally shooting his former Camarillo employer before turning the gun on himself was in court for the first time Tuesday.

Mikhail Khaimchayev, 29, of West Hollywood, appeared in a Ventura courtroom to enter a plea to a murder charge. But the arraignment was postponed to March 25 at the request of Khaimchayev’s attorney.

Khaimchayev is accused in the Jan. 13 shooting death of Camarillo business owner Sheldon Snyder, 36. After firing the gun, authorities said, Khaimchayev shot himself in the abdomen. He was rushed to St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, where he was in critical condition for several weeks.

Khaimchayev was a former computer programmer at Snyder’s company, Postal Innovations. He had been let go several months earlier because, according to employees, Khaimchayev, a Russian immigrant, had poor English skills and was not proficient on the computer.