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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lawyers for a 19-year-old man accused of killing a stranger with a hammer said Monday that they are gauging his mental health and plan to decide this summer whether to seek an exam to determine if he is fit for trial.
Psychological testing for Gerardo E. Perez, who appeared in court in a yellow jail jumpsuit with his hands shackled and his hair neatly cut, has been delayed somewhat because Perez speaks Spanish as his first language, defense attorney Robin Ljungberg said.
"To have something of this nature, you want to know what is going on," Ljungberg said.
Prosecutors say Perez was making noises that witnesses described as zombie-like as he wandered a West Valley City neighborhood just before the random attack.
Leslie Beus, 68, was outside his home smoking on Jan. 28 when Perez started hitting him with a hammer and knife he had been carrying in his pocket, police said.
Beus tried to escape by going inside his house, but Perez followed him, got on top of Beus and kept hitting him while yelling, "I'm going to kill you!" according to a jail booking statement filed by police.
Witnesses who followed Perez after he left the house said he was screaming as if he were intoxicated. Ljungberg said it's not yet clear whether alcohol or drugs were factors.
After the attack, Perez ran back to his house, police said. Officers found him on lying face-down on a bed, and they used a Taser and pepper spray to subdue and arrest him, according to charging documents.
Beus suffered numerous skull fractures in the attack and was on life support for nearly a month before he died. After his death, prosecutors filed an aggravated murder charge against Perez.
Perez, who is being held on $1.5 million bail, is facing a total of seven counts, including aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and obstruction of justice. He has not yet entered a plea in the case and is due back in court June 8.
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