Court briefs

The divide now requires the appointment of a third psychiatrist to determine if Matthew Deger, 35, should face trial on assault with a deadly weapon charges or be sent to a state hospital for treatment. The third report will be submitted Jan. 14.

Deger allegedly threatened to kill the psychiatric ward nurse if he was not released. When she told him he would remain at the hospital, he picked up a pen and stabbed her in the shoulder, prosecutors said. The nurse suffered minor injuries.

Deger remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Defense may not call witnesses in murder trial

The defense attorney for quadruple-murder suspect Raul Campos has not decided yet whether to call witnesses in his young client's defense. The prosecution rested its case Thursday against Raul Campos, 20. Typically, the defense then begins its case but attorney David Goldstein said he needed time to determine if he would call anybody to the stand. The jury was ordered to return Wednesday for either the start of the defense case or to be instructed before deliberations.

Campos is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of robbery. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. One of three alleged accomplices, Alfredo Valenzuela, was convicted of the same charges earlier this year and is awaiting a January sentencing hearing.

Campos, then 17, allegedly helped kill four men execution-style in a San Bruno apartment Jan. 11, 2002. The killings were reportedly over a drug debt dispute between victim Javier Vaca, 21, and ringleader Jorge "Chico" Hernandez. Jose Alberto Munoz-Lopez, 21, Emilio Alba-Flores, 20, and Roberto Ramos-Guerra, 18, were also found murdered.

A month after the killings Campos was arrested in Southern California and told police investigators he fired one weapon at one victim. Campos remains in custody on no-bail status.

Man tries to snatch woman's purse

Burlingame police are on the lookout for a man on a bicycle who tried to snatch a woman's purse Thursday.

The attempted strong-arm robbery and the description of the robber is similar to an incident that occurred more than a month ago.

At approximately 8:28 p.m., the woman was walking north on El Camino Real and had just crossed the intersection at Oak Grove Avenue when the man rode up from behind her and grabbed her purse. After a struggle, the man let go and rode away. She crossed the street and hid behind a tree. About a half a block away, the man stopped and looked back. Eventually, he left the area.

The suspect is described as a black man, 20 to 25 years old, thin and approximately 5-feet-10-inches tall. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants.

The Burlingame Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone who has information to call Inspector Kevin Kashiwahara at 777-4100.