Suspect in Murders Faces Reevaluation
A man charged with murdering two Universal Studios guards while stalking actor Michael Landon may face a mental competency hearing as the result of a doctor’s preliminary finding that he is now able to stand trial, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Nathan N. Trupp, 42, was committed to the Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino in February after a judge ruled Trupp was mentally incompetent to stand trial for the Dec. 1 Universal City slayings.
But after several months of treatment at the hospital, doctors now say Trupp has regained his competency, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Sterling Norris.
Norris said Trupp will be returned to the mental health division of the Superior Court, where another court-appointed psychiatrist will conduct a new evaluation of him.
A hearing will then be held at which a judge will issue a final ruling on Trupp’s mental competency.
If the judge agrees that Trupp has regained his competency, the prosecution of his case will resume.
Prosecutors say Trupp, a former New Jersey mental patient, shot and killed Universal Studios security guards Jeren Beeks, 27, and Armando Torres, 18.
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