SANTA CRUZ — Criminal proceedings for a Watsonville man charged with killing his partner, child abuse and attempted murder of a Watsonville police officer were put on hold Friday after his defense attorney declared a doubt about his mental competency to face charges.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel ordered the appointment of a mental health specialist tasked with assessing Joshua Gonzalez-Martinez and providing a report prior to his next hearing, set for Sept. 20.
The move came ahead of Gonzalez-Martinez’s preliminary hearing, which had been set to begin Monday.
Watsonville police arrested Gonzalez-Martinez on Aug. 3 after he allegedly charged at an officer armed with a knife and was subsequently shot by the officer. Gonzalez-Martinez reportedly had shown up at the police station threatening harm to his 3-year-old stepdaughter, who remained safely in the vehicle during the shooting, according to police.
The body of Gonzalez-Martinez’s sometimes romantic partner, Lizbeth Arceo Sedano, 25, of Watsonville, was discovered with multiple stab wounds by a hiker on a wooded trail outside of Corallitos the next morning.
Gonzalez-Martinez has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder with special enhancements for torture and use of a knife, attempted murder of a police officer with an enhancement for use of a knife, assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse with special allegations for causing great bodily injury, the use of a knife, committing an offense from a position of trust and violent conduct and battery upon corrections officer with enhancements for causing great bodily injury, violent conduct, use of a weapon and taking advantage of a position of trust.