A mental competency trial will be held in November for a 44-year-old man accused of ambushing and killing a 30-year-old Riverside County sheriff’s deputy responding to a domestic violence call , prosecutors confirmed today.
Jesse Ceazar Navarro of Lake Elsinore is charged with murder of a peace officer, attempted murder of a peace officer, special circumstance allegations of killing a law enforcement official and lying in wait, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, for the January 2023 death of Deputy Darnell Calhoun.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is seeking capital punishment for Navarro, provided he’s convicted.
Based on psychiatric evaluations, his attorney petitioned the court for a mental competency trial, and Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson found there were sufficient grounds to proceed with one. The D.A.’s office verified on Monday that jury proceedings are slated to begin on Nov. 8 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.