VISTA — A judge has ruled that Malcolm Pope is mentally incompetent to stand trial for the alleged murder of his mother at her Vista home in the spring.
The determination was made in San Diego County Superior Court on August 28. The finding of mental incompetence to stand trial means the person is unable to understand the nature of the criminal proceedings and/or unable to assist counsel in the conduct of a defense in a rational manner.
Defendants found mentally incompetent are usually committed to a state mental hospital or other facility for psychiatric treatment to restore competency, at which point criminal proceedings will resume. Next steps in Pope’s case will be discussed at a Sept. 17 hearing.
A forensic psychiatrist appointed by the court completed an evaluation of Pope last month and concluded that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. The court first reviewed the results on August 12, but a formal declaration by the judge was postponed while the District Attorney’s Office decided whether to order a second mental evaluation.
The DA’s Office ultimately did not order another evaluation, according to the court clerk.
Pope has been in custody since April and is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of his mother, 60-year-old Mireya Pope. He has pleaded not guilty.
He had been living with his mother and at the North Citrus Avenue house, but was living in his vehicle in the days leading up to the crime.
Law enforcement discovered Mireya Pope deceased in her home on North Citrus Avenue on the morning of April 23. Officers initially came to the house on the evening of April 22 at the request of Mireya Pope’s daughter, who had grown concerned after not hearing from her mother.
Officers left the home after not receiving a response at the door, but returned in the morning with the daughter after she saw via Ring camera footage that her mother had not left for work.
Mireya Pope was found with multiple stab wounds to her neck, according to court filings, and is believed to have died sometime between April 22 and 23.
While at the house, law enforcement also discovered that Pope had barricaded himself in the bathroom at the home, leading to a multihour SWAT standoff before he was finally taken into custody.
Court records indicate that Pope had a violent criminal history and mental health issues dating back to 2020, including prior violence against Mireya Pope.
In 2020 and 2021, Pope was placed on a psychiatric hold for making threats against another family member, and was also contacted by a psychiatric emergency response team after exhibiting behavior including paranoia and talking to himself.
In 2022, Pope also faced felony charges for exhibiting a knife to a police officer and later for exhibiting garden shears at another officer. He was sentenced to two years of formal probation.
That same year, Mireya Pope obtained an emergency protective order against her son after he dragged her out of her vehicle and pushed her to the ground in an attempt to take her car keys from her. This incident also led to a lengthy police standoff, with Pope barricading himself inside the home before he was eventually detained.
Mireya Pope worked for several years in local schools, including as a health clerk at Solana Highlands Elementary, a program instructor at the Solana Beach School District Child Development Center, and an assistant teacher at LePort Montessori School.
