Local News in Brief : Suspect Mentally Unfit
A transient accused of fatally stabbing a Hermosa Beach woman as she sat on her patio was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial Tuesday.
Sharon K. Hendrix, 29, is charged with first-degree murder in the March 30 slaying of Gillian Mary Cooper, 40, who was sitting in front of her home on The Strand, a heavily used beachfront path for bicyclists and pedestrians. Hendrix, who was arrested near the scene, has been held without bail.
On the recommendation of a court-appointed psychologist, Superior Court Judge Florence Bernstein recommended that Hendrix be sent to Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, where she will be treated and observed. Hendrix was scheduled for reevaluation Sept. 8.
Police said Hendrix had been arrested about half a dozen times since 1982 for crimes ranging from prostitution to assault with a deadly weapon. She has several misdemeanor convictions, they said.
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