Declared Incompetent to Stand Trial

After a years-long series of court hearings, a Northern California man has been sent to Napa State Hospital to undergo involuntary antipsychotic medication treatment for the next two years or until it is determined he is competent to stand trial for alleged kidnap and rape.

A Harvard Law School graduate and Marine Gulf War veteran, the man was already convicted and sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for kidnap and rape. In federal court in 2017, he pleaded guilty to invading the home of a sleeping Vallejo couple in March 2015.

According to court records, he tied the victims up and drugged them. Then he took the female victim to South Lake Tahoe, where he raped her twice. Two days later, he released her in Southern California.

Police Make $2.5 Million Mistake

According to a March 15, 2018, report in San Jose Mercury News, the Vallejo Police Department did not believe the couple's report of the crime. The police officially told the national news media the whole sensational story was a hoax.

Publicly humiliated and traumatized, the couple moved out of town. Several months later, investigators found video evidence in Tahoe of the kidnapper raping his victim. He was captured in September 2015 following a failed home invasion in Dublin.

The couple sued the Vallejo Police Department and the City of Vallejo for defamation of character. On March 15, 2018, a jury awarded them $2.5 million.

Still Facing State Charges

In January 2018, the Solano County District Attorney's Office charged the convicted kidnapper for the same crimes.

The kidnapper pleaded not guilty to the state charges and attempted to represent himself. However, his extreme paranoia and refusal to take medication eventually led a judge to declare him unfit to stand trial. In December 2021, he was remanded to Napa State Hospital, where he had already been in custody for psychiatric evaluation since June 2021.

Prisoners in state mental hospitals have fewer rights than other detainees, making it even more imperative to have a skilled and experienced legal defense attorney on your side. Call the Sigal Law Group for a free consultation at 818-325-0570.