Defendant’s competency still at issue in Vaca double-murder case

Judge orders Raymond M. Weber, 29, to return for further proceedings in April and a so-called 'doctor's report' on May 12 in Department 1 in the Justice Center in Fairfield

A man accused of killing two women in Vacaville in late January was scheduled to appear Friday in Solano County Superior Court for a mental competency report, but the judge scheduled further proceedings in the case, including another such report.

Judge Jeffrey C. Kauffman ordered Raymond Michael Weber, 29, of Sacramento, to return first for further proceedings at 8:30 a.m. April 14 and another competency report at 8:30 a.m. May 12, both in Department 1 in the Justice Center in Fairfield.

According to court records, on Feb. 10, the judge ordered the report, what’s called under California law a “1368 doctor’s report,” a reference to the Penal Code section that refers to “the duty” of the court when the sanity or mental competence of the accused is doubtful. He also suspended criminal proceedings in the case on the same day.

Weber, who remains in the main Solano County Jail without bail, made his first court appearance on Feb. 2 in Department 11, where he faced charges of two counts of murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also faced charges of domestic violence and making terror threats, both cited in an out-of-county warrant.

In a press statement at the time, Solano County District Attorney officials said special circumstances surround the killings, notably: 1) Both murders were especially “heinous, atrocious, manifesting exceptional depravity”; 2) Both murders were committed to prevent a lawful arrest; 3) Both murders were committed while engaged in the crime of rape; and 4) The defendant committed multiple murders.

The prepared statement also pointed out that Weber was convicted in 2006 of assault with a firearm and in 2016 of unlawful possession of a controlled substance while armed, both in Sacramento.

Court records appear to indicate that Weber has yet to enter a plea and likely will not until he is declared competent, that is, able to help his lawyer with the defense and to understand court proceedings.

Weber is represented by the Deputy County Public Defender Tamani Taylor. Deputy District Attorney Eric Charm leads the prosecution.

Weber was arrested Jan. 30 following a lengthy standoff in Vacaville.

Police responded to the Rocky Hill Veterans Apartments in the 500 block of Rocky Hill Road shortly after 12:40 a.m., when a woman reported that a man armed with a handgun was livestreaming from an apartment where two women, unmoving, were lying on the floor.

Upon their arrival, police said the man, later identified as Weber, had barricaded himself inside so the SWAT and Critical Incident Negotiation teams were deployed.

Negotiations were unsuccessful, neighbors were evacuated and flash bangs and chemical agents were subsequently deployed into the occupied unit. Officers found Weber hiding in the apartment and, following a brief struggle, shot him with a Taser to bring him under control. He was arrested at 8:32 a.m.

Both female victims, ages 15 and 27, were found dead, police said. The older victim was identified as Savannah Theberge, with ties to Utah and Georgia, and the teen was said to be from Elk Grove.

No other details were available at the time..

Weber was named a person of interest in connection with the 2014 fatal shooting of his then-girlfriend, Nichole Duarte, 19.

Sacramento police said in a press statement at the time that his brother, then16-year-old Antoine Weber, is believed to have shot her in the face during a dispute. Raymond Weber fled the scene, police said, and officers wanted to speak with him “regarding his involvement in this case.”

According to a report by KXTV Ch. 10 in Sacramento, Antoine Weber pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in that case.