FELIX TRIAL DAY 11: School psychologist takes stand in trial of alleged cop-killer
The fourth day of defense testimony continued Tuesday in the trial of an ex-con accused of killing two Palm Springs police officers who responded to a domestic disturbance call at his family’s home.
Last week, family members of the accused took the stand again — for the defense this time around — in the trial of 28-year-old John Hernandez Felix, who is accused of firing an AR-15 rifle at veteran Officer Jose Gilbert Vega, 63, and rookie Officer Lesley Zerebny, 27, from inside the Felix family home in the 2700 block of Cypress Avenue on Oct. 8, 2016, killing both.
Jake Ingrassia is in court covering the eleventh day of the trial – follow his notes from court below:
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On Monday, Santos Felix, John Hernandez’s Felix’s father, took the stand again, being cross-examined by the prosecution.
Partially deaf in both ears, Santos Felix needed headphones and a Spanish interpreter to hear questions from attorneys during his testimony. 
After Felix’s father, a toxicologist took the stand, providing analysis into Felix’s possible mental state during the alleged killings.
Special Section: Justice for the Fallen
According to his defense attorneys, Felix was in a state of methamphetamine psychosis during the shooting. He was reportedly taken into custody by police with a meth pipe in his pocket.
The toxicologist broke down exactly what state of mind someone using methamphetamine may be in on Monday. Side effects include paranoia and the inability to discern auditory/visual hallucinations that the user is exepriencing.
After the toxicologist, a Sheryl Deeds, a Palm Springs Unified School District psychologist, took the stand to speak to Felix’s educational history and mental capacity.
Special Section: In the Line of Duty
Deeds continued the testimony on Tuesday. While on the stand, she contended that Felix was not intellectually disabled, and then expanded on his school records.
Felix is charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder, with special circumstance allegations of killing police officers and committing multiple murders. He is facing a possible death sentence if convicted.
Vega and Zerebny were the first Palm Springs police officers killed in the line of duty since Jan. 1, 1962, when Officer Lyle Wayne Larrabee died during a vehicle pursuit. The only other death in the department was that of Officer Gale Gene Eldridge, who was fatally shot on Jan. 18, 1961, while investigating an armed robbery.
Felix has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, for which he served time in state prison.
