VENTURA — A Camarillo man charged with murdering and dismembering his mother two years ago has been found competent to stand trial, according to local news reports.

During a hearing in Ventura County Superior Court on May 16, Judge Kristi Peariso determined that David Hoetzlein, 26, “understands court proceedings and is able to cooperate with counsel.”

Both the prosecution and defense agreed to the findings of a doctor’s report. However, the report does not preclude the defense from arguing at trial that Hoetzlein was insane at the time of the crime.

Hoetzlein, who has a long history of mental illness, had previously been found incompetent to stand trial.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced on June 7, 2022 that Hoetzlein was charged with the murder of Tomoko Hoetzlein, 62. On June 3 of that year, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call that human remains were discovered in an apartment complex trash dumpster located in the 300 block of Townsite Promenade in Camarillo. Detectives and medical examiners investigated the remains and obtained evidence that led to David Hoetzlein’s arrest.

Hoetzlein, who first appeared in Ventura County Superior Court in June 2022, is due back in court on June 6. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years to life in prison.

Last February, a federal judge in Los Angeles was asked to decide whether Tomoko Hoetzlein’s daughter, Mao Cardenas, has a triable case for civil rights violations against Ventura County, the City of Camarillo and Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital, the private psychiatric facility that released her brother on May 31, 2022.

According to Cardenas’ lawsuit, Dr. Tim Park, the hospital’s medical director, was “on-site and responsible for David Hoetzlein’s care, both as a psychiatrist signing off on David’s paperwork and a supervisor for employees who utterly neglected David Hoetzlein’s psychiatric condition, unsafely released him with a false diagnosis and dangerously reduced medication, dismissed Tomoko’s concerns, and coerced her into taking David home, resulting in her death.”

Cardenas argued that the hospital had the authority to place Hoetzlein on a “5150 hold” or involuntary detention for those who may be a danger to themselves or others.

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