Suspect Arraigned in Guards’ Slaying
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 they were Nazis.
Los Angeles Municipal Judge Elva R. Soper ordered Nathan Trupp, 43, 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.
His 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. 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.
Authorities said Trupp approached the main gate to Universal Studios on Dec. 1 and shot and killed two guards--Jeren Beeks, 27, and Armando Torres, 18--after they refused him when he demanded to see actor Michael Landon.
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