Leary’s Daughter Ruled Unfit for Trial
A Pasadena Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that the daughter of 1960s LSD guru Timothy Leary is mentally incompetent to stand trial in the attempted murder of her live-in boyfriend.
Judge Terry Smerling ruled that Susan Martino, 41, also known as Susan Leary, is incapable of understanding court proceedings and of assisting in her own defense. Smerling ordered Martino transfered from the Sybil Brand Institute to a state psychiatric treatment facility.
Martino, 41, is accused of shooting Joel Ruben Chavira, 38, in the back of the head Dec. 18 as he slept in the Glendale apartment that they shared. The bullet lodged in the base of Chavira’s skull but was removed by surgeons with no apparent complications.
At the brief hearing on Tuesday, Martino stood silently in jail garb with her head down. Her attorney, public defender Jonathan Mendel, said Martino’s father calls frequently to discuss her condition.
Under Smerling’s ruling, she will be evaluated by a physician within 90 days of her commitment. The physician can recommend that she remain confined or that she be ordered to stand trial.
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