Long-awaited trial starts in cabbie shooting

More than six years have passed since prosecutors say Lousa Mataele, 37, fatally shot cabdriver Davinder Singh and injured passenger Jaime Torres in a botched robbery Sept. 13, 2003. Singh died from a shot to the back of the head while Torres escaped with minor injuries.

Mataele spent more than half that time in a state mental hospital after being found incompetent but, once doctors there deemed him fit to aid in his own defense, returned to San Mateo County in April 2008 for trial. Even once back, Mataele’s journey to trial was not smooth nor quick, as attorneys first fought over the competency finding and later haggled over his consideration of an insanity plea. The District Attorney’s Office argued too much time has passed for Mataele to change his plea but, before a judge could render a decision, he decided not to go that route and instead agreed to a trial date.

On Monday, the trial was assigned to Judge Robert Foiles who will do pretrial motions this week before taking next week off. Jury selection is expected at the end of the month at the earliest. The District Attorney’s Office estimates trial will last six weeks.

Although prosecutors have characterized the shooting as a botched robbery, the defense remains unclear at this point.

During a preliminary hearing, Torres testified the two men barely knew each other but had been drinking together and Mataele went with him to a friend’s home to continue drinking. When Torres called a cab to go home, Mataele climbed in too. Shortly into the drive, Mataele allegedly pulled a gun from a backpack he was carrying and demanded money from Singh, the driver. Singh was shot twice before he could respond. The shooting caused Singh to crash the cab into a parked car at Ebener Street and Oak Avenue. Torres said Mataele then turned the gun toward him, demanding his cell phone and gold teeth, before fleeing. Mataele was discovered about 20 minutes later at a bus stop on El Camino Real with the backpack containing the gun.

In 2005, Mataele was found incompetent and sent to a state mental hospital. Competency is a person’s ability to stand trial while sanity refers to their state of mind at the time of the alleged crime.

Mataele remains in custody on no-bail status and faces life in prison if convicted.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.