The man accused of fatally shooting his parents in their Sunset Cliffs home last year has been found mentally competent to stand trial.
Peter David Haynes, 23, pleaded not guilty Friday to murder charges in a San Diego courtroom. He is accused of killing his parents, David and Lissa, the day after Thanksgiving 2014
Since February, Haynes has been receiving treatment at Patton State Hospital after his defense attorney said he could not understand the charges against him and assist in his own defense. The suspect has been diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia.
On Nov. 28, 2014, officers found the Haynes’ front door ajar and David and Lissa suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They died shortly after at the hospital.
Police say they found Haynes hours later walking near the crime scene with a semi- automatic handgun in his pocket.
His sister, Kimberly, told NBC 7 Hays has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Two weeks before her parents’ deaths, she posted a picture to Facebook that showed her brother teaching her how to hold a gun.
At trial, Haynes will face two counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstances that hint at premeditation. Prosecutors say Haynes was lying in wait when he shot his parents and that he committed a burglary in the commission of the homicides.
