Sentencing paused, reset for Vaca man found not guilty by reason of insanity for killing mom
Judge orders Shane W. Riley, 24, of Vacaville, who pleaded to second-degree murder, to face placement report, sentencing at 1:30 p.m. July 11 in Department 1 in the Justice Center in Fairfield
Friday's sentencing date was vacated and reset for a 24-year-old Vacaville man charged with the October 2019 fatal stabbing of his mother, yet another Solano County Superior Court case at the intersection of the state's massive mental health and criminal justice systems.
Court records show that Shane William Riley, who appeared in Department 1 and earlier waived his right to a jury trial, entered the no-contest plea and admitted to using a deadly weapon, will return at at 1:30 p.m. July 11 to learn of his fate in Judge Jeffrey C. Kauffman's courtroom in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
With the plea, Riley did not admit guilt but essentially stated he would offer no defense, and Judge Jeffrey C. Kauffman, based on a doctor's report, found him not guilty due to insanity.
Riley was represented by Deputy Public Defender Sara Johnson, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Paul Sequeira appeared on behalf of the DA's Office during the morning session on June 3.
At sentencing, Riley, who remains without bail in the Stanton Correctional Facility in Fairfield, faces a maximum punishment of 15 years to life in a state hospital and will be subject to parole supervision for life, court records indicate.
The case was referred to MHM Services, which contracts with state and local agencies for behavioral services in community settings, for evaluation before the sentencing date.
The latest development in the case comes after an earlier report from the Department of State Hospitals declaring the defendant to be mentally competent to help in his own defense and also after the judge compelled him to involuntarily take anti-psychotic medication.
In April 2020, Kauffman ordered Riley to be confined to one of five California state hospitals for two years. The judge has periodically reviewed Riley's mental competency and placement.
At earlier proceedings in the case, Riley, after the judge heard the report on the defendant's mental competency, was to be sent to a secure treatment facility operated by MHM Services Inc., which has offices in Vallejo.
On July 7, 2020, Riley was admitted to the Jail-Based Competency Treatment. On July 27, Kauffman reviewed yet another periodic progress report in the case, according to court records.
Early on in the case, Kauffman received and reviewed a doctor's report about Riley's mental competency to understand court proceedings and deemed him competent to stand trial, but a subsequent report suggested that may not be so.
But Riley was eventually deemed mentally competent and criminal proceedings were reinstated.
Arrested by Vacaville police officers shortly after the Oct. 31 slaying, he initially faced a first-degree murder charge. Had he been convicted at trial, he faced 25 years to life in prison, plus more time for use of a deadly weapon.
The Solano County District Attorney filed its complaint on Nov. 1, 2019.
Vacaville police records indicate that dispatchers received a 911 call around 7 a.m. from a residence in the 900 block of Rio Grande Drive in Vacaville.
It was an open line, officials said, and dispatchers could hear a woman screaming.
When responding officers entered the spacious, two-story home, they discovered the body of the victim, Riley's 59-year-old mother.
Officers also found Riley in the home and he was taken into custody without a struggle. He was taken to the police station for questioning before being booked into jail in Fairfield.
Investigators also found a knife, believed to be the weapon used in the stabbing, in the home.
Officers have reportedly responded to disturbance calls at the home prior to the Halloween attack.
Court records show that, in May 2017, Riley was arrested by Vacaville police in connection with what appears to be a traffic violation. Later in August, he was sentenced to a First Offender DUI Program and completed it the following February.