Bail Denied to Doctor Charged in Hit-Run Death
A Van Nuys doctor charged in the hit-and-run death of an Arlington, Mass., psychiatrist was ordered held without bail Thursday as a Massachusetts mental hospital sought to have him committed, officials said.
John Kappler was arraigned Thursday in Middlesex County Superior Court, where he pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
He is accused of running down Dr. Paul Mendelsohn, 32, of Arlington and then fleeing. Mendelsohn, a psychiatrist, was struck by a car April 14 as he was jogging. A Cambridge woman, Deborah Brunet-Tuttle, was also injured.
At Thursday’s arraignment, Judge David Roseman ordered Kappler held without bail until a June 22 hearing. Meanwhile, Metropolitan State Hospital, where Kappler has been undergoing psychiatric evaluation, filed a petition seeking a civil commitment, officials said.
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