El Cajon

A jury Tuesday found Toufic Naddi mentally competent to stand trial on five murder charges in the slayings of his wife, her parents and two other relatives at his home in El Cajon.

The San Diego Superior Court jury deliberated about an hour before ruling on the narrow issue of his competency.

The verdict clears the way for the trial of Naddi, 46, which is scheduled for March 24. The San Diego County district attorney’s office is seeking the death penalty for Naddi on a charge of first-degree murder.

The competency verdict pleased Naddi, who had testified Monday that he was competent. He also told jurors that he felt all of his attorneys had been “bought off” by his wife’s family.

Naddi was called to the stand by Deputy Dist. Atty. Jim Pippin, in an unusual legal twist in which both Naddi and Pippin found themselves in agreement. Naddi’s attorney, Michael Murphy, didn’t ask him any questions on the stand.

Most of the psychiatrists who examined Naddi testified that he was mentally incompetent.

A former defense attorney for Naddi, Millie Durovic, testified that Naddi was paranoid and suspicious of her and other attorneys.

Murphy argued that Naddi suffered from “a major mental illness” in which he has many delusions.

Judge Ross Tharp told jurors that they were to presume Naddi mentally competent unless it was proven otherwise by Naddi’s lawyer.