Suspect in Guards’ Slaying to Stand Trial

A former mental patient accused of shooting to death two Universal Studios security guards he believed were Nazis is competent to stand trial, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

After reviewing a report from a court-appointed psychiatrist, Judge Florence Bernstein concluded that Nathan Trupp, 43, has been restored to competency with the use of psychotropic drugs and will be able to assist in his own defense.

Bernstein ordered Trupp to be arraigned July 5 on first-degree murder charges. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled after Trupp pleads to charges that he fatally shot Jeren Beeks, 27, and Armando Torres, 18, on Dec. 1, 1988, at the gate to Universal Studios.

The two unarmed guards were shot moments after they had turned Trupp away from the gate. Authorities said Trupp had walked up to the gate and asked to see actor Michael Landon.

Trupp also is accused of shooting three people to death in an Albuquerque bagel shop two days before the Universal Studios slaying. After the five slayings, he told investigators and psychiatrists that he believed the victims were Nazis who were conspiring against him.