A Sacramento State student remains in jail after being arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of her boss, a Sacramento attorney.

Sarah Elizabeth Dutra, 21, is expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in San Joaquin County Superior Court on charges of murder and conspiracy in the death of Larry McNabney.

Students who knew the senior art studio major said they were shocked at the news of her arrest.

“She lived right next door to me,” said Jennifer Reinke, who lived in the Sac State Residence Halls two years ago. “She really didn’t associate with anyone in the dorm, and I don’t think she had a friend in the dorms.”

Reinke said she and Dutra lived on the second floor of Jenkins Hall two years ago, but she never saw Dutra socializing with people.

Student Daniel Nordas also said Dutra was very quiet, but that she had become more outgoing, perhaps as a result of time spent in Florence, Italy in an exchange program.

“Her personality seemed to change a bit from when I first knew her,” Nordas said. “She bleached her hair and seemed more lively.”

Nordas invited Dutra to a party Feb. 15, and she attended for about 15 minutes, bringing her dog with her, Nordas said.

Dutra’s arrest came a day after McNabney’s wife, Laren Sims, was arrested for his death.

McNabney was last seen Sept. 10, and his body was found Feb. 5 in San Joaquin County.

After a nationwide search, Sims was located and arrested in Florida on Monday, where she named Dutra as her accomplice. Sims went by the name Elisa McNabney during the six years she was married to Larry McNabney, and sheriff’s officials said she has had other aliases as well.

Sims is also wanted on outstanding warrants in Washington and in Florida, where she served seven months in prison for violating her probation on grand theft, credit card fraud and two counts of trafficking stolen property.

Dutra could not be reached for comment, and calls to her cell phone were immediately routed to a voice mail message.

The night before Dutra was arrested, she was in an upper division class with senior government major Brendan Wonnacott.

“She seemed quiet and unassuming,” Wonnacott said. “This is definitely not something you’d expect.”

Rosalie Amer, professor of the class, confirmed that Dutra was in class Monday night, but knew very little about the student. Amer said Dutra asked a few questions in class, but she knew little else about her.

Dutra graduated from Vacaville High School in 1998 in the top 10 percent of her class, according to principal Wayne Mills.

“She was an outstanding student and was very involved in the school life here,” Mills said. “She was the senior class president and was a member of the drill team.”

Nordas said Dutra planned to attend graduate school, and her personal Web site also alluded to that idea.

“I am an art student, with high hopes of graduating this spring and will continue onto graduate school asap!!! I know this must sound crazy, but I love school and never want to stop….it sure beats being a grown-up!!!” Dutra said on the site.

“Before she went to Italy, I talked to her about the trip and her drawings. When she came back, I heard about it, how great it was living in Florence,” Nordas said. “People say, ‘Oh, she seemed so quiet and nice.’ Well, this was another one of those cases.”