A pre-trial hearing for a Newark man charged with the murder of his girlfriend is scheduled to begin Friday morning.
Jason Otis Monroe, 33, was arrested April 27 after police found him outside of a Newark home with his clothes and hands bloodied. Inside, officers found Evangeline Supena Contillo, 25, dead of apparent stab wounds.
The pre-trial hearing was delayed last month after Monroe’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Sam Yun, confirmed that Monroe was currently at John George Psychiatric Pavilion, a psychiatric hospital associated with Alameda County Medical Center.
The state of Monroe’s condition was not elaborated upon during that Jan. 20 court hearing, but on May 2, Judge Dennis McLaughlin ordered that Monroe take a mental evaluation.
That order was given after Monroe announced he was taking numerous antipsychotic medications, including Geodon and Abilify – both of which treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information government website.
Online court records show that Monroe is back at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he has been held on no bail since his arrest.
The pre-trial hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the Fremont Hall of Justice, Dept. 605.
Other court appearances (chronological order):
- April 29: Monroe appeared in court for an arraignment, but it was pushed to May 2.
- May 2: Judge Dennis McLaughlin ordered a mental evaluation after Monroe stated he had been taking a variety of antipsychotic drugs. It was also learned that Contillo had a restraining order against him at the time of her murder.
- May 4: Monroe appeared in court with Public Defender Kristen McCannon and after making dramatic statements in which he claimed his children were “caught in the middle of something horrific.”
- May 6: Monroe himself and McLaughlin accepted Monroe’s request to be represented by a public defender.
- May 18: Monroe , and a plea was scheduled for June.
- June 24: Monroe’s
- Sept. 1: Monroe’s
- Nov. 24: Monroe to one count of murder.
- Jan. 20: Monroe’s attorney delays pre-trial hearing and states that Monroe is at John George.
Articles after Monroe’s arrest:
Articles on Contillo:
