SANTA ANA : Jury Says DeHoyos Sane During Crimes

Richard Lucio DeHoyos was fully aware of his actions when he kidnaped, raped and murdered a 9-year-old schoolgirl, a jury concluded Thursday, clearing the way for prosecutors who want DeHoyos condemned to death for his crimes.

DeHoyos, 35, was convicted last month of the March 20, 1989, slaying of Nadia Puente, but his defense attorney claimed that he was insane at the time of the murder and, therefore, should not be held criminally responsible. Jurors deliberated two days before rejecting that defense.

Nadia’s mother, Sara, first sighed with relief as the verdicts were read but then began convulsing in her seat. Frantic relatives tried to hold her down and used a cardboard sheet to fan her flushed face. Friends said she would be all right once outside the stressful courtroom.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert C. Gannon Jr. and defense attorney Milton C. Grimes declined to discuss the case outside of court.

The penalty phase of the trial is expected to begin Wednesday, during which jurors will be asked to recommend whether DeHoyos should be sentenced to death for his crimes or given a life prison term without the possibility of parole.

The final decision will be made by Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey, who is presiding.

If jurors had found that DeHoyos was insane, he would have been committed to a state mental hospital until a court determined that he was no longer a threat to himself or others.

A jury in 1991 convicted DeHoyos of the same crimes and recommended that he be sentenced to death, but that verdict was overturned because of jury misconduct, requiring a retrial.

During the first trial, DeHoyos often barked like a dog and once rampaged through the courtroom, overturning a table. He has been quiet through most of the retrial, but last week jumped from his chair, yelled an expletive and approached the prosecutor before before being subdued.

On Thursday, as he moved one step closer to a possible death sentence, DeHoyos sat perfectly still, his leg chained to a table.

DeHoyos’ defense revolved around claims that he suffers from a mental illness that causes violent, irrational outbursts.

DeHoyos took Nadia to a local motel after coaxing her into his car by posing as a teacher who needed help carrying books. DeHoyos claimed that he was enraged over being fired earlier that day from his job at a fast-food restaurant and unintentionally took his anger out on Nadia.