SANTA PAULA : Transient Pleads Not Guilty in Killing

In his first court appearance since being ordered two weeks ago to stand trial, a 24-year-old transient accused of fatally shooting a Santa Paula ranch foreman pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch set a May 23 trial date for Jose Luis Gonzalez--accused of killing longtime friend Rosario De La Cruz on May 14, 1993, prosecutors said.

The victim was shot four times in the chest as he stood in his Santa Paula home. Moments before dying, De La Cruz told his wife that Gonzalez had attacked him. Officials said they are unsure of the motive.

Criminal proceedings in the case were put on hold shortly after the slaying when Gonzalez’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Douglas W. Daily, raised doubts about his client’s mental competency.

After receiving conflicting psychiatric reports on Gonzalez’s mental state last month, Storch ruled the defendant competent to stand trial. Such a ruling means a defendant is capable of understanding the charges against him and assisting in his own defense, lawyers said.

Two psychiatrists have told the judge that Gonzalez is a paranoid schizophrenic who believes that he is turning into former Beatle John Lennon.

On Tuesday, Storch ordered the doctors to re-evaluate Gonzalez to determine whether he is insane. To be found insane, a defendant must be unable to distinguish between right and wrong, Deputy Dist. Atty. James D. Ellison said.