Experts still deciding if man is fit to stand trial in bludgeoning slaying

Two court-appointed psychologists disagree on whether a murder suspect is mentally fit to stand trial for a 2013 slaying in Costa Mesa but will have another chance to reach consensus.

Christopher Leovy, 32, is accused of squatting in a Hamilton Street building where his victim was remodeling the property for a sober-living home. Orange County prosecutors alleged Leovy got into an altercation with John Kubat, a 54-year-old Costa Mesa man, and bludgeoned him to death on Sept. 9 two years ago.

Soon after Leovy’s arrest, his lawyer put the trial on hold by questioning whether Leovy was mentally stable enough to help in his own legal defense.

Attorney Joel Tamraz has said Leovy has hallucinations and is paranoid.

For more than a year now, two court-appointed doctors have had trouble speaking with Leovy. During a hearing Thursday, Tamraz and prosecutor Matt Murphy said the psychologist had reached conflicting conclusions about his mental state.

One was able to at least have a short conversation with Leovy in his cell and concluded he was unfit to stand trial, according to Tamraz.

Leovy, however, refused to speak with the other doctor.

Based on that interaction and some information about Leovy’s mental health history, the second psychologist concluded he was competent enough to face the murder charge leveled against him, according to Murphy.

The doctor who concluded Leovy wasn’t mentally competent did not have access to the prior mental health records, according to Commissioner Edward Hall, who presided over Thursday’s hearing.

Tamraz said he would provide that information, and Hall instructed both psychologists to try once again to evaluate Leovy.

But Hall said, “It seems like it’s almost an exercise in futility.”

Both doctors have tried multiple times to interview the suspect with little success.

Tamraz countered that Leovy is being held without bail so there’s no harm in trying again.

“He’s in jail,” Tamraz said. “He’s not a danger to anyone.”

If it’s determined Leovy isn’t mentally fit to stand trial, he could be held in a mental hospital indefinitely or until he’s deemed competent.

In addition to the murder charge, Leovy is accused of felony battery on a police officer in connection with his arrest two days after the killing.

According to police, Leovy is from Los Angeles but came to stay at a Costa Mesa sober-living facility before becoming homeless.