The Santa Maria resident convicted of murdering an elderly man with a hatchet two years ago has been sentenced to life in a state mental health institution.
On Nov. 28, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Edward Bullard sentenced Nicholas Bendle, 22, to Patton State Hospital, where he could remain for the rest of his life.
Bendle attacked and killed Frederick Holgate, 68, with a hatchet on Aug. 1, 2009, while the elderly man was going for a morning walk near his Santa Maria home. It’s been determined that the two men didn’t know each other.
Bendle pleaded guilty to murder in September, but with the stipulation that he suffered—and continues to suffer—from a mental illness.
During the sentencing, Bendle read a personal statement before the court, addressing the Holgate family.
“I am aware that no apology can eradicate the tragedy that links me to you,” he told the family. “The only explanation—the only reason I’m here today—is due to a severe mental illness known as schizophrenia.”
The murder, he said, did not reflect his true nature or personality, but rather the severe spiritual, emotional, and physical damage experienced by someone afflicted with psychosis.
He said the tragedy could have been avoided if he had a precursor or warning to his condition and went on to receive proper counseling and medication, but that, unfortunately, wasn’t the case.
His mental condition and subsequent actions, he said, “[are] not who I am, who I was before, or who I will be in the future.”
This article appears in Dec 8-15, 2011.