A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled on April 19 that Lee Leeds, the man who allegedly shot and killed four people in a Santa Maria auto salvage yard in 2008, is officially competent to stand trial.
This was the third and final time the court examined Leeds’ mental competency. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. However, Judge Edward Bullard found Leeds capable of understanding court procedures and assisting defense attorneys with his case.
Key testimony was provided by doctors Elsie Cheng and Jeffery Lawler, both of whom worked closely with Leeds while he was in custody at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino County. They reported to the court that Leeds showed marked improvement during his time at Patton, participating in mock trial proceedings and group therapy classes.
Leeds is charged with the murders of his father Richard Leeds, who owned the salvage yard, Dave Dubois, Terry Majan, and Ricardo Leal.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 12 in Santa Maria.
This article appears in Apr 14-21, 2011.