Crime & Safety
Man Now Competent for Trial in David Lewis' Murder
The suspect in the murder of East Palo Alto community activist David Lewis has been found competent to stand trial after previously placing in a state mental hospital.
The man accused of East Palo Alto community activist David Lewis in the parking lot of San Mateo's Hillsdale Shopping Center in June 2010 is set to stand trial after receiving treatment at a state mental hospital, according to a news report on KTVU.com.
Gregory Elarms is suspected of following Lewis from the San Mateo Medical Center to Hillsdale Shopping Center and shooting him once in the stomach with a .44-caliber handgun outside his car on June 9, 2010, prosecutors said.
About six months after the crime, Elarms contacted San Mateo investigators claiming to have a tip about the unsolved case.
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As he was being questioned, Elarms allegedly confessed to killing Lewis, even describing the shocked look on Lewis' face after he shot him, San Mateo police Detective Rick Decker testified at Elarms' preliminary hearing.
Elarms was charged with murder, discharging a gun in the course of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and the special circumstance of lying in wait, which could make him eligible for the death penalty.
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But in July 2011, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Mark Forcum ruled that Elarms was to stand trial. The following month, Elarms was ordered to be placed in a state mental hospital.
According to KTVU.com, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Tuesday two doctors have determined that Elarms is now fit for trial.
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