Mental competency trial begins for man accused of killing girlfriend
An Indio man accused of killing his girlfriend and setting fire to the Thermal mobile home she shared with her children displayed behavior consistent with a mental disorder, but more testing could be done to determine whether he may be exaggerating his symptoms, two psychologists testified today.
Christian Pacheco, 23, is accused in the death of 30-year-old Elilia Valdez, a mother of two whose body was discovered the morning of March 18, 2017, in the area of 63700 Monroe Street, about six hours after sheriff’s deputies found her mobile home ablaze. According to a criminal complaint, a knife was used in Valdez’s murder.
Witnesses “indicated that a domestic violence incident may have occurred between an adult female resident and her boyfriend before the home was set on fire,” according to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Raymond Huskey. He said deputies located Pacheco hours later in the 51700 block of Calle Torres Orduno in Coachella.
Pacheco was charged last year with murder, arson, assault and animal cruelty, but criminal proceedings were suspended last summer until a determination is made on Pacheco’s competency to stand trial.
Dr. Robert Suiter, one of two psychologists who examined Pacheco last year, testified that Pacheco “does have a severe mental disorder” and displayed symptoms consistent with schizophrenia, but that he was possibly exaggerating his symptoms, also known as “malingering.”
Pacheco reported having visual and auditory hallucinations, during which he said he was implored to commit suicide, the doctors testified. The defendant described delusions that the devil was speaking to him, as well as his lawyer, Christopher DeSalva, when the attorney was not present, according to the psychologist.
Pacheco also had difficulty recalling certain aspects of his personal life, such as his birthday, the city where he was born, or how long he had been working as a dog groomer, according to the witness.
He testified that Pacheco was also largely unemotional during the examinations and was nonresponsive to questions, offering only one or two-word answers.
Suiter said he was not able to definitively determine whether Pacheco was malingering, but that the defendant displayed some symptoms that were inconsistent with a typical schizophrenia diagnosis. He also noted that his interactions with Pacheco were brief and that more testing would better establish whether or not the defendant was misrepresenting his condition.
Dr. William Jones testified that he believed Pacheco was not malingering but said that he did not administer any tests to make that determination. Jones said that in addition to his examination, he relied on prior psychological reports taken during Pacheco’s time in county jail to come to his conclusion.
In order to be considered incompetent to stand trial, it must be shown that a defendant does not understand the nature of the criminal proceedings against him and cannot assist his attorney in his defense.
Pacheco reported that he did not understand why he was arrested and in court, nor who his lawyer was, or the roles of the district attorney or judge.
Due to this and other factors, both doctors testified that they believed he was likely incompetent. Should Riverside County Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling make that ruling, Pacheco would be committed to a mental institution for an undetermined period of time until his competence could be considered “restored.”
Testimony will continue Wednesday morning.
Pacheco remains in custody on $1 million bail.
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