Murder Suspect At Psychiatric Facility

A pre-trial hearing for a Newark man charged with the murder of his girlfriend has been postponed.

Jason Otis Monroe, 33, did not appear at his scheduled court appearance at the Fremont Hall of Justice on Friday morning. Instead, his attorney Deputy Public Defender Sam Yun appeared on his behalf.

Yun confirmed to the court that Monroe was not present because he currently is at "John George" due to the "state of my client." John George Psychiatric Pavilion is a psychiatric hospital associated with Alameda County Medical Center.

The state of Monroe’s condition was not elaborated upon.

Online court records show that Monroe, who pleaded not guilty at his last court appearance on Nov. 4, is "housed out" of Santa Rita Jail, where has been held on no bail since his arrest.

Monroe was on suspicion of murder after the stabbing death of , who was 25.

Police said officers arrested Monroe in front of his home on the 36000 block of Cherry Street where he was found outside the one-story home with his clothes and hands covered in blood. Contillo was found dead inside of the home.

Monroe has also made dramatic statements during his early court appearances in which he said his children were “caught in the middle of something horrific.”

A mental evaluation for Monroe was ordered on May 2 by Judge Dennis McLaughlin after Monroe had said he was on numerous antipsychotic medications, naming Geodon and Abilify as previous medications. Both are used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information government website.

During his May 4 appearance, Monroe requested to talk with with Deputy District Attorney Andrew Ross about taking a polygraph test and the whereabouts of his children.

“And it’s not about me. For all I care, I can get the death penalty. It’s about the kids. And I really want a polygraph,” Monroe said, according to a transcript of his May 4 appearance.

The pre-trial hearing was rescheduled to 9 a.m., Feb. 17 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.

Articles after Monroe’s arrest:

Articles on Contillo: