Judge rules caregiver accused of killing man, dumping body in trash must answer to charges

A woman accused of torturing an elderly man to death and dumping his body in a La Quinta trash bin in 2019 was back in court after a psychological evaluation.

Cristina Noelle Canimo, 33, of Palm Desert, was charged with murder and torture. She appeared in court on Tuesday pleading not guilty to all counts.

Canimo was arrested on Nov. 22, 2019, the day after the body of Ronald Clarke, 87, was found inside a trash bin outside a home in a gated community in the 43500 block of east Parkway Esplanade.

Riverside County sheriff's officials later confirmed the home was being used as a residential care facility. Canimo was a caregiver at the facility, and Clark was a patient, authorities said.

Canimo previously pled not guilty to those same charges, however, in Dec. 2019, a judge granted a defense motion for her to undergo a psych evaluation. The evaluation included a one-on-one interview with a psychologist, who will also pour over Canimo's medical and mental-health records.

She was found competent to stand trial. On Tuesday, after hearing testimony at the preliminary hearing, the judge held Canimo to answer on all counts.

Canimo is scheduled to return to court for on August 3.