Criminal proceedings were paused Friday for a man accused of beating to death the owner of an Escondido home known for displaying American flags and banners supporting President Donald Trump after a defense attorney questioned his client’s mental competency.
Read more Lakeside man among three arrested on suspicion of conspiring to support ISIS terror group
Thomas Caleb Butler, 32, was slated to be arraigned on a murder charge in Vista Superior Court on Friday. Instead, Judge Richard Monroy suspended the case until a court-appointed psychiatrist can evaluate Butler and determine his ability to understand the proceedings he faces.
This was the second time this week that supporters of the victim left the courthouse frustrated. Butler, who has been jailed without bail since the attack May 20, was supposed to be in court Wednesday but refused to attend the hearing, and it was rescheduled for Friday. He was not present at Friday’s hearing either.
The attack happened in the mid-afternoon in front of victim Kerry Sheron’s home, which is known to neighbors as the “Trump House” for its signs and memorabilia.
The case is paused, but the investigation continues. Escondido police said last week they were evaluating all potential motives for the attack but had no evidence to support that it had been politically motivated.
Deputy District Attorney Ross Garcia said the assailant punched Sheron — a 69-year-old military veteran — in the jaw, sending Sheron to the ground “seemingly unconscious.” The attacker then stomped on Sheron’s head at least twice, he said.
“This was a senseless, tragic act,” Garcia said Friday, calling the attack “vicious” and “unprovoked.” He said investigators “have been working day and night diligently in order to determine the facts in this case.”
Read more Krahel tightens grip on 2nd-place spot for county supervisor seat
The assailant fled, Escondido police said. Sheron was taken to a hospital, where he died four days later. A man who tried to intervene was also injured and taken to a hospital.
Police found and arrested Butler on East Mission Avenue and Begonia Street, a few blocks from the scene of the attack.
He was initially charged with attempted murder, a charge that prosecutors upgraded to murder earlier this week. Butler has not yet entered a plea to that new charge, given the question about his competency and the subsequent suspension of the proceedings.
Documents filed last year in San Diego Superior Court by Butler’s estranged wife describe Butler as a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and allege a history of violent behavior.
The pause in the criminal case is solely to evaluate Butler’s competency to understand the legal proceedings. The next hearing in Butler’s criminal case is scheduled for July 17.
Read more Cruisin’ Grand returns to downtown Escondido
