Paul Ahern
A homeless man was ordered to stand trial Thursday for allegedly beating another man to death in San Mateo County last year.
Paul Ahern, 54, is accused of beating Michael Gonzalez, 46, to death during a fight at about 8:15 p.m. on June 9, 2014, in the 3100 block of Middlefield Road in an unincorporated part of San Mateo County near Redwood City.
Witnesses told sheriff’s deputies that Ahern yelled repeatedly that he was going to kill Gonzalez, slammed his head against the ground, punched him in the head, slammed his head into a car and held him in a choke hold for 10 minutes, according to prosecutors.
When deputies arrived, they found Ahern standing 3 feet from Gonzalez, who was lying facedown on the sidewalk, prosecutors said. Deputies arrested Ahern.
Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Aug. 4, 2014, Ahern was scheduled to enter a plea for the murder, but criminal proceedings were suspended to determine whether he was mentally competent to stand trial. On Sept. 30, two doctors concluded Ahern was not competent to stand trial, according to prosecutors.
On Jan. 7, a judge committed Ahern to the California Department of Mental Health and ordered Ahern be placed at Napa State Hospital. At the time, Ahern also consented to involuntary medication at the state hospital if determined to be necessary by the hospital doctors, prosecutors said.
Ahern was taken to Napa State Hospital in March. He has since been returned to court and has been found competent to stand trial, according to prosecutors.
Ahern’s defense attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
Join us for community fun! Free antique and collectible appraisals by Clars Auction. Over 30… Read moreMillbrae Senior Showcase
Imagine the rock and roll of Jimi Hendrix, the wild abandon of Janis Joplin’s vocals, and th… Read morePacifica Performances presents…Dirty Cello
DavidKristofferson said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.