Criminal proceedings were suspended in the case of Marisol Flores, the woman accused of killing her newborn in an Oxnard homeless encampment.
During her Feb. 27 arraignment, her public defender, Rebekah Mathis, declared doubt about her client’s mental competency to stand trial. Flores, charged with one count of murder and one count of assault on a child causing death, has not yet entered a plea. She was present on Zoom.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Ferdinand Inumerable appointed a psychologist to evaluate Flores’ ability to understand legal proceedings and assist in her defense, and her competency hearing is scheduled for March 26.
First responders arrived at the encampment in the 2400 block of E. Vineyard Avenue around 11 a.m. Feb. 8 after a concerned passerby called 911, according to the Oxnard Police Department.
Emergency personnel pronounced the infant deceased at the scene, noting a suspicious injury, according to police. Flores, 30, was transported to the hospital, where she was arrested the next day.The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced the infant’s cause of death as sharp force injury to the head and manner of death as homicide. The baby was named Geremias Flores, according to the agency.
Flores remains in custody at Todd Road Jail in Santa Paula with bail set at $500,000.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Woman charged in baby’s death in Oxnard to have mental health assessed
Reporting by Makena Huey, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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