Arraignment for an Oceanside man accused of killing his 83-year-old neighbor was put on pause Tuesday after his defense attorney raised doubts about his mental competency.
The 25-year-old defendant, Blake Harrison Turner, was instead ordered to undergo an evaluation designed to determine whether he is mentally competent to face legal proceedings.
“The proceedings are paused while he is evaluated and hopefully eventually stabilized before we then can renew proceedings in the future,” Deputy District Attorney Jaimie Thomas said after the hearing.
The hearing marked the third attempt to arraign Turner, who is due back in court Jan. 15 to start the process for a clinician to evaluate his mental competency. In the meantime, Vista Superior Court Judge Valerie Summers ordered Turner to remain jailed without bail.
Although Turner has not been arraigned, the District Attorney’s Office filed a case last week, charging him with one count of murder. Prosecutors said a knife was involved in the attack. No details of the case were discussed during Tuesday’s very brief hearing, which the defendant did not participate in.
Turner has been in custody since Nov. 24, three days after his neighbor was found dead. Her name has not been released.
Police were called about 6:15 p.m. Nov. 21 after the woman was found unresponsive in an apartment complex on Talon Ridge Way, in a neighborhood north of Bush Street in the northwest portion of the city, the department said last week. Officers arrived to find the woman deceased.
Evidence at her residence led officers to suspect the woman was a homicide victim. The ensuing investigation led detectives to suspect Turner, who was arrested.
Police have declined to release any additional information about the incident.