Psychological Testing OKd for Accused Killer : Competency: Dusty Castillo, implicated in a slaying in Porter Ranch, is called ‘psychotic’ by his lawyer.

An 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting a Porter Ranch pizzeria manager during a 1993 robbery was ordered Monday to undergo psychological evaluation to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Dusty Tyrone Castillo’s attorney, Jenny Scovis, said her client “is psychotic” and that a psychologist she retained could not interview him because of his condition.

San Fernando Superior Court Judge Judith Meisel Ashmann said that a preliminary finding by a court-appointed psychologist indicates that Castillo may be suffering from a mental disorder, but more time is needed for a complete evaluation.

Castillo was ordered back to court Feb. 24, when the evaluations are expected to be completed.

If Castillo is found mentally incompetent to stand trial in the robbery-slaying of John Michael Holden, 19, he will be sent to a state mental institution, where he will be housed until he is found sane enough to be tried.

If he is tried and convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to prosecutors, Castillo and two alleged accomplices went to Ameci In & Out Pizza & Pasta restaurant in Porter Ranch on Jan. 14, 1993. While Oscar Hernandez Villanueva, 18, waited in a getaway car, Castillo and Alex Martinez Velasquez, 19, entered the restaurant and demanded money.

After Holden handed over $450, Castillo allegedly shot him once in the chest. Holden died later in a hospital.

All three men were under 18 years of age when the killing occurred, but all were ordered to stand trial as adults.

Villanueva pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced last week to 16 years to life in state prison, although he will be allowed to serve the first seven years in a California Youth Authority facility.

After sentencing, prosecutors said Villanueva had agreed to testify against his alleged accomplices, but Villanueva and his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Howard Waco, said Villanueva agreed only to provide a statement regarding his involvement, and would not testify against the two men.

Velasquez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and will be sentenced to 26 years to life in prison on March 6. He is being evaluated to determine whether he will be allowed to serve the first part of his sentence in a California Youth Authority facility.