California Trial First for Suspect in N.M., Film Studio Killings

A former mental patient accused of fatally shooting two Universal Studios security guards and three people at a bagel shop in Albuquerque, N.M., reportedly because he believed they were Nazis, will be prosecuted in California first, authorities said Tuesday.

Nathan N. Trupp, 42, was charged Tuesday in Los Angeles with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of Jeren Beeks, 27, and Armando Enrique Torres, 18, who were shot at Universal’s main gate Thursday, shortly after they had turned him away when he asked to use a phone to call actor Michael Landon, authorities said.

The murder charges include special circumstances allegations of multiple murder, meaning Trupp could face the death penalty if convicted.

Wounded by Gunfire

Trupp also faces a charge of attempted murder resulting from an exchange of gunfire with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy James T. Campbell. The deputy arrived at Universal in response to the shooting report and shot Trupp in the chest and arm. Campbell was uninjured.

Although an arrest warrant has been issued for him in Albuquerque, Trupp has not yet been charged there. Authorities in New Mexico said they will probably wait until the case is completed in Los Angeles before seeking Trupp’s extradition.

In both states, however, Trupp will first face hearings to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial, authorities said. If a judge or jury rules Trupp is not competent, he will be treated at a state mental hospital until it is determined that he can face trial.

Trupp, who has a long record of mental problems and has twice been hospitalized for them, was being held in the jail ward at County-USC Medical Center. He was not in good enough physical condition to be arraigned on the charges filed Tuesday, officials said. His arraignment was postponed until next Tuesday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Sterling E. Norris said investigators believe that all five killings and Trupp’s desire to find Michael Landon were motivated by the suspect’s “obsession” with people he thought were Nazis.

“He believed he was killing Nazis,” Norris said. “He was seeking out Michael Landon. He believed him to be a Nazi. The security guards and the three victims in Albuquerque he also believed were Nazis.”

Not Disclosed

According to his brother, Trupp lived in Israel in the early 1970s and returned with an avid interest in the Holocaust. But it was unclear how his fixation resulted in a belief that Landon and the shooting victims were Nazis, authorities said.

Detectives interviewed Trupp at the jail ward but have not disclosed what he said.

Norris said prosecutors in Los Angeles and Albuquerque have decided to work together on the cases, but “we intend to resolve something here first.”

Bob Schwartz, chief prosecutor of the Bernalillo County district attorney’s office in Albuquerque, said New Mexico prosecutors are willing to let Trupp be tried first in California because he may get the death penalty in that case, whereas it had not been determined whether they will be able to seek the death penalty in New Mexico.

In California, a multiple murder automatically qualifies as a special circumstances allegation. In New Mexico, multiple murder is not a consideration.

Also contributing to this story was Times staff writer John Johnson.