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Napa
murder suspect fails to appear in court
Napa State patient stays in his
cell; new court date Thursday
Tuesday, May 7, 2002
By MARSHA DORGAN
Register Staff Writer
A Napa State Hospital patient accused of killing another patient refused
to show up for his court arraignment on Monday.
Anthony Clark Gore, 39, was scheduled to be arraigned on one count of
felony murder in the death of a 49-year-old male patient on Friday.
Neither the hospital nor the county coroner's office will release the
name of the victim.
On Monday, although his attorney and his family were in court for the
arraignment, Gore was not.
Gore refuses to leave his jail cell, the court bailiff told Commissioner
Michael Williams.
Williams continued the arraignment until Thursday. Gore is being held
without bail in the county jail.
"If Mr. Gore chooses not to be here, he will be arraigned in his
absence," Williams said.
Autopsy results revealed the victim died from asphyxiation due to
strangulation, sheriff's Capt. Mike Loughran said.
"We have not been able to locate his next of kin to notify them of
the death," he added.
Loughran said the victim had been dead for about two hours before he was
discovered by another patient.
Lupe Rincon, hospital spokeswoman, said a patient summoned hospital
staff, who found the man dead in his bed around 8 a.m. Friday.
She said he was seen sleeping in his bed when staff conducted a routine
bed check around 6:30 a.m.
"Staff heard nothing prior to that to alert them anything unusual
was happening in the room," Rincon said.
Hospital staff told deputies that Gore had cuts on his knuckles and blood
on his hands and clothes on the day of the homicide, according to a police
report.
The report said the victim had been beaten about his face, and Gore's
hands and knuckles were swollen.
Gore, who was arrested on Friday, refused to give police a statement at
that time.
Gore was admitted to the hospital in January 2000 after he was found
innocent by reason of insanity by a Sacramento County court.
Friday's murder victim, also committed on a ruling of innocent by reason
of insanity, has been at the hospital since December 1998, Rincon said.
Rincon was not able to reveal the crimes committed by Gore or the victim.
This is the second homicide at the hospital in the last 17 months.
On Christmas night 2000, John Reed, 48, was found dead in the hospital
activity room. Another patient, Orrin Patrick, 46, has been charged with
murdering Reed.
Patrick is accused of beating and then strangling Reed after the lights
went out for the night. According to court testimony, Patrick fought with
Reed over a bag of unrolled tobacco.
Last April, Patrick was found unfit to stand trial and sent to Atascadero
State Hospital in San Luis Obispo, where he will undergo treatment until
doctors deem him competent to stand trial and participate in his own
defense.
Marsha Dorgan can be reached at 256-2214 or mdorgan@napanews.com
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