Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SPARKS, Nev. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a 73-year-old Sparks man charged with murder in the shooting of two unarmed trespassers that is bringing attention to Nevada's "stand your ground" law.
Sparks Justice of the Peace Chris Wilson granted prosecutors' request for the evaluation Tuesday and postponed Thursday's scheduled preliminary hearing for Wayne Burgarello.
Burgarello insists he was acting in self-defense in February when he killed a man and seriously wounded a woman he found in a vacant house he owns in Sparks.
Nevada law allows the use of deadly force against attackers. It doesn't require the attackers be armed, but says the shooter cannot be the original aggressor.
Wilson said he's sending the case to Washoe County District Court, where Burgarello is scheduled to appear July 30 at 9 a.m.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
