Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Another mental competency hearing for David Lucero

Did he kill his mom? Is he crazy?

The Lucero family home in Valley Center has been sold.
The Lucero family home in Valley Center has been sold.

A young man arrested on suspicion of killing his mother more than five years ago and who has not yet heard any evidence presented against him is due in court on November 30.

David Lucero

David Leroy Lucero, now 30 years old, has been in and out of Patton State Hospital since he was arrested in 2010.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Lucero’s mother, Margo Jean Lucero, 53, was found deceased in her bed in the family’s sprawling mansion overlooking Valley Center on March 9, 2010. A medical examiner stated she died of “stab wounds of left shoulder and chest.” Investigators said the woman had been locking her bedroom door at night because she was afraid of her then-25-year-old son, and they found the door to her bedroom damaged, as if it had been forced open.

The next day, the woman’s Mercedes and her son were both located on an Indian reservation in Arizona.

The body of Margo Jean Lucero was reportedly found by her husband, Dr. David M. Lucero, in their home at 29312 Costalota Road, when he returned from out of town. He reportedly told sheriff’s investigators he had last spoken to his wife at about 10:30 the previous night, and both he and his wife were concerned because their youngest son was mentally ill and had stopped taking his prescription medications.

Dr. Lucero told investigators that his son had “called the family evil,” according to statements found in court files.

The day before she was found deceased, Margo Jean Lucero had phoned deputies for help; she reportedly asked that her son be taken away to a medical hospital; but responding officers declined to take away the young man because they did not find him to be a risk at that time.

Mark Geragos

Dr. Lucero hired celebrity defense attorney Mark Geragos to represent his son. This creates an unusual possibility for conflict of interest, theoretically, especially because the accused has rarely been brought into open court during his five years of confinement.

The court minutes for a hearing scheduled on May 7, 2010, for David Lucero said in part: “Defendant in Cell. Will need to be extracted. Defendant chained up in cell due to mental condition. Court recommends Vista housing so that defendant’s father is able to meet with defendant. (Father is emergency room doctor.)” The defendant was not produced in court on that date; he was represented by Geragos at that time.

Patrick Espinoza

This week, prosecutor Patrick Espinoza released a statement: “At the last court hearing, the defense lawyer requested a continuance to have the defense expert evaluate Lucero.” Espinoza explained regarding the defendant, “The criminal proceedings cannot be reinstated until the court determines his competency has been restored.”

“We hope the criminal case can move forward at the next court date,” Espinoza said.

David Lucero is scheduled for another mental competency hearing on November 30 in San Diego’s downtown courthouse.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Chunky yellowtail from Alijos Rocks

Imperial Beach Pier thresher shark
Next Article

Live Five: Greyboy Allstars, Acoustic Revolt, Scary Pierre, Thee Sacred Souls, Glass Spells

Anniversaries, record releases, and fundraisers in Solana Beach, Ocean Beach, Little Italy, and Midway District
The Lucero family home in Valley Center has been sold.
The Lucero family home in Valley Center has been sold.

A young man arrested on suspicion of killing his mother more than five years ago and who has not yet heard any evidence presented against him is due in court on November 30.

David Lucero

David Leroy Lucero, now 30 years old, has been in and out of Patton State Hospital since he was arrested in 2010.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Lucero’s mother, Margo Jean Lucero, 53, was found deceased in her bed in the family’s sprawling mansion overlooking Valley Center on March 9, 2010. A medical examiner stated she died of “stab wounds of left shoulder and chest.” Investigators said the woman had been locking her bedroom door at night because she was afraid of her then-25-year-old son, and they found the door to her bedroom damaged, as if it had been forced open.

The next day, the woman’s Mercedes and her son were both located on an Indian reservation in Arizona.

The body of Margo Jean Lucero was reportedly found by her husband, Dr. David M. Lucero, in their home at 29312 Costalota Road, when he returned from out of town. He reportedly told sheriff’s investigators he had last spoken to his wife at about 10:30 the previous night, and both he and his wife were concerned because their youngest son was mentally ill and had stopped taking his prescription medications.

Dr. Lucero told investigators that his son had “called the family evil,” according to statements found in court files.

The day before she was found deceased, Margo Jean Lucero had phoned deputies for help; she reportedly asked that her son be taken away to a medical hospital; but responding officers declined to take away the young man because they did not find him to be a risk at that time.

Mark Geragos

Dr. Lucero hired celebrity defense attorney Mark Geragos to represent his son. This creates an unusual possibility for conflict of interest, theoretically, especially because the accused has rarely been brought into open court during his five years of confinement.

The court minutes for a hearing scheduled on May 7, 2010, for David Lucero said in part: “Defendant in Cell. Will need to be extracted. Defendant chained up in cell due to mental condition. Court recommends Vista housing so that defendant’s father is able to meet with defendant. (Father is emergency room doctor.)” The defendant was not produced in court on that date; he was represented by Geragos at that time.

Patrick Espinoza

This week, prosecutor Patrick Espinoza released a statement: “At the last court hearing, the defense lawyer requested a continuance to have the defense expert evaluate Lucero.” Espinoza explained regarding the defendant, “The criminal proceedings cannot be reinstated until the court determines his competency has been restored.”

“We hope the criminal case can move forward at the next court date,” Espinoza said.

David Lucero is scheduled for another mental competency hearing on November 30 in San Diego’s downtown courthouse.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Jazz jam at a private party

A couple of accidental crashes at California English
Next Article

Birdwatching bonanza, earliest sunset of the year, bulb planting time

Venus shines its brightest
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader