People v. Quihuiz CA6

I. BACKGROUND

Defendant, a retired carpenter, was 60 years old in 2013. A man he used to work with and had known for years made an unannounced visit to his home one January day in the late morning. The two drank beer and talked for several hours. Defendant suddenly pulled a revolver from his pocket and shot his visitor five times. He then called 911 to report he had just shot a man who was assaulting him. Defendant was arrested and charged with premeditated attempted murder (Pen. Code, §§ 187, 664, subd. (a)) with a special allegation of firearm use (Pen. Code, § 12022.53, subds. (b), (c)). Before trial, the court suspended the proceedings to determine whether defendant was mentally competent to stand trial. Three doctors evaluated defendant; all opined he did not meet the standard for competency because his mental condition made him unable to rationally assist his attorney. Defendant was diagnosed with a paranoid personality disorder that made him delusional. He was “unable to control his thoughts, engage in verbal reasoning, or recall facts necessary to present a defense.” Impaired thought processes prevented him from assisting counsel. Medication was recommended to treat his…