Ex-Mental Patient : Trupp Denies Guilt in Killing of 2 Guards

A former mental patient pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that he shot and killed two unarmed Universal Studios security guards in December under the delusion that they were Nazis.

Appearing at his arraignment in Los Angeles Municipal Court, Nathan Trupp, 43, also denied that he attempted to kill a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who responded to the attack.

Judge Elva R. Soper ordered Trupp to return to court Aug. 11 for a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to hold him for trial.

The charges against him include allegations of multiple murder, one of the special circumstances that can lead to the death penalty.

However, Trupp’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Stephen L. Hobson, said Trupp plans to plead not guilty by reason of insanity if the case reaches Los Angeles Superior Court for trial. “It’s pretty clear he was probably insane at the time it happened, from a layman’s point of view,” Hobson said. “But that has yet to be determined from a legal point of view.

Insanity Plea

“The insanity plea is something that is going to happen eventually,” Hobson explained, “but at this point in the proceedings, there is not much to gain. A preliminary hearing is to determine if there is evidence to have a trial, and whether or not he was insane has nothing to do with it.”

If Trupp is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he could be committed to a state mental hospital for life, or until a judge finds that he is sane and no longer poses a danger to society.

Although Trupp was found incompetent to stand trial in February, Superior Court Judge Florence Bernstein ruled last week that the use of psychotropic drugs had restored Trupp to competency.

The charges against him stem from the December 1, 1988, shooting at the main gate to Universal Studios. Authorities said Trupp approached the gate and asked to see actor Michael Landon. Moments after the two guards--Jeren Beeks, 27, and Armando Torres, 18--turned him away, Trupp opened fire.

Beeks was killed instantly. Torres died one day later.

Arm Wound

Trupp was wounded in the chest and arm in an exchange of gunfire with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy James T. Campbell. Trupp’s arm, wrapped in a plastic splint Wednesday, is still healing. Campbell was uninjured.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Sterling E. Norris, who is prosecuting Trupp, said a solid case against him includes witnesses, physical evidence and Trupp’s own statements to authorities.

Trupp is also accused of shooting three people to death in an Albuquerque, N.M., bagel shop two days before the slayings at Universal. He later told investigators and psychiatrists that he believed the victims were Nazis conspiring against him.

Trupp remains in County Jail where is being held without bail.