California v. Williams
Annotate this CaseIn early 1993, defendant, then 51 years old, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine; he was also found in possession of drug paraphernalia and a loaded firearm. While on bail in 1993, defendant fired a machine gun and injured a police officer, and the next day shot at an officer and a police dog. A jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI) of two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault on a custodial officer with great bodily injury, unlawful possession of a machine gun, and interfering with a dog being used by a police officer. Defendant’s adult criminal record also included molestation of his 10-year-old stepdaughter, three convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and carrying a concealed weapon. On July 11, 1994, defendant was committed to a state mental hospital. His maximum commitment date was April 5, 2014. When the State's petition to extend defendant's commitment to 2016, he appealed, arguing there was no substantial evidence: (1) that he had serious difficulty in controlling his behavior; (2) that he had a mental disease, defect, or disorder; and (3) that his mental disease, defect, or disorder created a substantial danger of physical harm to others. After review of the trial court record, the Court of Appeal disagreed with these contentions and affirmed the extension.
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