FAYETTEVILLE -- A Springdale man charged with capital murder in connection with a 2013 stabbing is still not mentally fit for trial and, according to doctors at the Arkansas State Hospital, he may never be.
Juan Pablo Perez-Lopez, 32, is charged in Washington County Circuit Court in the death of Jesus Cecilio Villalobos, 48, in Springdale on Feb. 13, 2013. Villalobos was stabbed multiple times.
Perez-Lopez has pleaded innocent.
Results of the latest fitness examination performed on Perez-Lopez concluded he continues to suffer from schizophrenia.
"At the time of the examination, Mr. Perez-Lopez lacked the capacity to understand the proceedings against him, as well as the capacity to effectively assist his attorney in his own defense, due to mental disease," according to Dr. Lacey Willett Matthews. "Given my opinion that Mr. Perez-Lopez is not fit to proceed, opinions regarding criminal responsibility are deferred."
Doctors said further efforts to restore Perez-Lopez to competency are not likely to result in significant improvement.
An assessment of how dangerous Perez-Lopez may be was also conducted. He was found to pose a moderate risk of violent behavior if released into the community or a less restrictive setting than the State Hospital.
"This rating is contingent upon his future compliance with treatment," Matthews concluded. "Although Mr. Perez-Lopez has a history of violent behavior and severe mental illness, he has not acted violently in approximately one year and his hallucinations and delusions have responded well to medication. As a result, it is possible that he could maintain stability in a supervised, structured treatment setting. However, if he is released into the community without continued treatment and supervision, his risk for future violence would increase."
Matt Durrett, Washington County prosecuting attorney, said the findings put the case "kind of in perpetual limbo."
"They've been renewing 180-day civil commitments since he's been not fit to proceed, so they'll just keep treating him," Durrett said.
Durrett said Thursday that the criminal case against Perez-Lopez has been reset to December 2019 and he has been moved from the State Hospital to a lock-down facility for ongoing treatment. Perez-Lopez will remain in that facility unless he's eventually found to be restored to competency.
"As long as they're still affected with mental disease, they still pose a danger to the community," Durrett said.
The latest examination, at least the fifth, was done in late October. Perez-Lopez was committed to the State Hospital for treatment and restoration for more than two years.
Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay signed the original commitment order at the behest of Durrett. The order said Perez-Lopez is a danger to himself or others and should remain at the State Hospital as long as he remains unfit. Doctors periodically report to Lindsay on his condition.
Perez-Lopez's attorneys notified the judge two years ago that they were having trouble working with him. An initial examination at the Arkansas State Hospital found Perez-Lopez fit for trial, but a second examination called his mental fitness into question, and he was again committed for treatment.
A report by Melissa Dannacher, a psychologist at the State Hospital, diagnosed Perez-Lopez with schizophrenia and antisocial disorder. Dannacher was hopeful at the time he could be restored to fitness with continued in-patient treatment and restoration services.
Motorists called Springdale police in February 2013 about two men fighting on Huntsville Avenue and said one of them had a knife and was riding away on a bicycle.
Police found Perez-Lopez on a bicycle with a knife and bloody hands, then found Villalobos in a parking lot with multiple stab wounds to his chest and his throat cut, according to a search warrant affidavit. Perez-Lopez told police he went to Walmart, stole a knife and returned to Latino Tires with the intention of stabbing Villalobos because he thought Villalobos was making fun of and taking advantage of him, the affadavit said.
Perez-Lopez said he stabbed Villalobos, an auto mechanic, about 20 times at the business and in the street, according to the affidavit.
Capital murder is punishable by life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
Metro on 12/10/2018