Zapisek
People v. Zapisek
Opinion
Opinion
Appellant Paul Zapisek seeks reversal of the trial court's order extending his commitment for two more years pursuant to Penal Code section 1026.5, subdivision (b), contending that there was a lack of substantial evidence submitted below that he represented a substantial danger of physical harm to others. We affirm the trial court's order.
As of November 2005, Zapisek was 63 years old. In September 1997, he assaulted an elderly stranger on a street in San Francisco because he believed the stranger was Satan, using a knife in the assault. The trial court found Zapisek to be legally insane at the time of the offense, and subsequently ordered him committed to Atascadero State Hospital pursuant to Penal Code section 1026.5, subdivision (b), [1] setting his maximum state prison confinement time at 48 months.
Zapisek, who was transferred to Napa State Hospital in 1998, consented to an extension of his commitment twice, the second commitment ending in September 2003. The court extended his commitment to September 2005 after the People petitioned for this extension. In June 2005, the People petitioned to extend Zapisek's commitment an additional two years, and a court…