SANTA PAULA : Judge Finds Slaying Suspect Competent

A Ventura County judge has found a 24-year-old Santa Paula slaying suspect competent to stand trial, although two psychiatrists described the defendant as schizophrenic and said the man believes he is turning into John Lennon.

Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch on Wednesday ordered court officials to set a preliminary hearing for Jose Luis Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in connection with the shooting death of Santa Paula ranch foreman Rosario De La Cruz last May. Moments before he died, De La Cruz told his wife that he had been shot by Gonzalez, who was a longtime acquaintance. Authorities say Gonzalez stole jewelry and a rifle from the man before the shooting.

Wednesday’s competency hearing came after two psychiatrists disagreed on the defendant’s ability to assist in his legal defense.

One doctor, Donald A. Patterson of Ventura, told the judge that Gonzalez suffers from a “paranoid-schizophrenia type disorder” and is not competent to stand trial. Patterson has examined Gonzalez twice since his arrest.

A second psychiatrist, Patrick C. Barker, agreed that Gonzales is schizophrenic. But Barker, who also has examined the defendant twice, said Gonzalez is competent to stand trial.

Nevertheless, Barker told the judge of one statement Gonzalez made to him in December. “I think I’m going to turn into a different person, and that will be John Lennon,” Gonzalez said, according to Barker.

As Gonzalez sat silently through the hearing, rocking back and forth in his chair at the defense table on occasion, Judge Storch ruled that the defense had not proved he is incompetent.