AX CASE HEADED TO COURT HUSBAND MAY STAND TRIAL IN DEADLY BLOW.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - An 80-year-old Littlerock man found mentally incompetent to stand trial on charges that he killed his 71-year-old wife in her bed with a hatchet hatchet: see tomahawk. has regained his competence and has been ordered returned to court. Hollis Medford, also known as Glenn Medford, was ordered sent to Patton State Hospital History Patton State Hospital is located located in San Bernardino county, California. First opened in 1893, it was renamed Patton State Hospital after Harry Patton in 1927. Patton opened in 1893, as a state run, public sector forensic hospital. , a facility for the mentally incompetent, in July 2000. Now Patton officials say examination by a physician indicates he has regained competence. ``It could mean he stands trial,'' said Medford's attorney, Deputy Public Defender public defender, governmental official who represents indigent persons accused of crime. U.S. Supreme Court decisions expanding the right to counsel to pretrial proceedings and holding that a person cannot be sentenced to even one day in jail unless a lawyer was Richard Guluzza. ``Competence merely means he is aware of the nature of the proceedings, of the charges and the court, what the function of the judge, defense attorney and court staff are and what jurors do and is able to help in his defense. ``Just because he's been deemed competent to stand trial does not mean at some future date he couldn't be incompetent again.'' Medford is scheduled to be arraigned in September, Guluzza said. Because he felt suicidal, Medford went to Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital seeking psychiatric care five days before his wife was killed, prosecutors said, but he was not admitted. Vonia Medford was found dead in bed early May 20, 2000, from a blow to the head, sheriff's deputies said. Deputies said they went to the home after her husband called to say he had injured her. Prosecutors said Medford told investigators that he thought his wife was going to starve starve v. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. To deprive of food so as to cause suffering or death. to death, and he did what he thought he had to do to spare her from that. The couple had food in the house and money in a savings account Savings Account A deposit account intended for funds that are expected to stay in for the short term. A savings account offers lower returns than the market rates. Notes: , and Vonia Medford did not appear to have been starving, homicide investigators said, but Hollis Medford, who had worked in real estate and at one time was an engineer, believed he was running out of funds. Vonia Medford was killed by a blow to the head with a hatchet that her husband had used to hammer in Verb 1. hammer in - teach by drills and repetition beat in, drill in, ram down drill - teach by repetition real estate signs, detectives said. Vonia Medford frequently bore marks on her arms and face, and she confided that her husband had been abusive for years, a neighbor said. Investigators said Medford and his wife went to Antelope Valley Hospital on May 15 to seek psychiatric care for him. Hospital officials said Medford came to the emergency room but was not admitted. |
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