Prosecutor: Man accused of murdering deputy feigning mental incapacity

MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) - A man accused of ambushing and killing a 30-year-old Riverside County sheriff's deputy responding to a domestic violence call is pretending to be mentally incapacitated for his own benefit, a prosecutor said today, while the man's attorney suggested he's been damaged by bullet fragments still in his head.

"The defendant is trying to manipulate the justice system,'' Deputy District Attorney Marcus Garrett said in his opening statement of the mental competency trial of 45-year-old Jesse Ceazar Navarro of Lake Elsinore.   

A jury was seated last week at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta to hear evidence in the case, which is focused on whether the defendant is mentally fit to stand trial for murder of a peace officer, attempted murder of a peace officer, special circumstance allegations of0 killing a law enforcement official and lying in wait, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, for the January 2023 death of Deputy Darnell Calhoun.

The District Attorney's Office is seeking capital punishment for Navarro, provided he's convicted.

His attorney, Lori Myers, told jurors that she'll present psychiatric specialists who will validate her client's mental deficiency and explore his challenges with communication, possibly stemming from ``bullet fragments'' still in his head.

Garrett said Navarro has schemed with loved ones to give the appearance of an individual in need of psychiatric treatment. In a recorded jailhouse conversation with his wife, Yvette Navarro, the defendant told her,

``Everything is going according to our plan,'' the prosecutor told jurors.   

``Mr. Navarro is able to multi-task and retain information,'' Garrett said.    He quoted one of the forensic psychologists who examined the defendant, Dr. Stacey Waring, who imparted, ``In my professional opinion, he's presently competent'' to stand trial.

In another instance, Garrett referenced a brain scan conducted on Navarro at UC Irvine Medical Center, after which Dr. Mark Tran issued a finding that there are ``no significant areas of decreased activity in the cerebrum.''   

Myers petitioned the court for a mental competency trial, also known as a Penal Code section 1369 trial, after tests by the prosecution and defense experts were completed. Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson last year found there were grounds to proceed with one.

If Navarro is determined to be incompetent to stand trial on the allegations, his case will be referred to correctional health, and he'd likely be committed to a state hospital for treatment on a timetable determined by the court.

He's being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.   

According to a sheriff's arrest warrant affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, Calhoun went to a residence in the 18500 block of Hilldale Lane, near Grand Avenue, about 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, after 911 dispatchers received a call indicating a domestic altercation at the location, without certainty because the caller abruptly hung up.   

Calhoun arrived alone in his patrol unit and ``contacted several individuals in the driveway of the residence,'' according to the affidavit.   

``Navarro partially concealed himself behind an open door of his (pickup) truck, holding a handgun out of sight of Deputy Calhoun,'' the document stated. ``Within 17 seconds of Deputy Calhoun arriving on scene, Navarro began shooting at him. Navarro fired multiple rounds at Deputy Calhoun, (who) fled on foot. Navarro then entered his truck, drove in the direction that Calhoun had fled and continued to fire at him from the truck.''   

The affidavit revealed Calhoun fired back at the defendant, but ``none of the rounds appeared to injure him.''   

The lawman was hit several times and collapsed in the street. He was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A backup deputy engaged Navarro in a gunfight a couple minutes after Calhoun's ``deputy under fire'' call, wounding the defendant. The responding deputy wasn't injured.

Calhoun is survived by his widow, Vanessa, and young sons Russell, Troy and Malcolm.

The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.