El Cajon

A 29-year-old man, found to be insane when he stabbed his elderly mother to death, was committed Friday to a state mental hospital.

Richard Gaitan was given an indefinite term at Patton State Hospital.

Gaitan admitted that he fatally stabbed his mother, Virginia Guenther, 67, on Sept. 16, 1990, at their home in the 700 block of Mollison Avenue.

The slaying occurred several weeks after Gaitan was released from jail on a robbery charge.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Fred Link had found Gaitan innocent by reason of insanity in the murder March 29.

On Friday, Link reviewed psychiatric reports and concluded that outpatient treatment for Gaitan was not appropriate.

Link said Gaitan had a lengthy criminal and substance-abuse history, along with “a high potential for violence.”

To be released from Patton, Gaitan will have to prove to either a judge or a jury that his sanity has been restored.

It was Gaitan himself who called El Cajon police to report the crime the next day. He was was found suffering from self-inflicted stab wounds. Guenther was stabbed in the face, chest, arms and back.