A man living California’s wine country faces murder charges after he allegedly killed a local resident and left his body under a bridge on the banks of a river, authorities announced July 15.
Ramiro Ochoa Mendoza, 36, is suspected of killing 47-year-old Noel Batres, whose body was discovered by police in Napa on July 3.
Mendoza is being held without bail at the Napa County Department of Corrections, said authorities.
Three days before Mendoza was arrested July 11 on suspicion of killing Batres, he failed to appear in court for a mental health review. Because multiple doctors had previously ruled Mendoza incompetent, the court “had no choice but to dismiss” two previous misdemeanor criminal charges and a parole violation stemming from cases earlier this year, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Napa police, Batres was killed sometime between June 27 and July 3. His body was left under the Third Street Bridge on the banks of the Napa River at Soscol Avenue.
Authorities did not release any other details about the alleged murder.
Beyond the murder charge, Mendoza also faces allegations that the incident involved the use of a deadly weapon; the murder exhibited violence, cruelty, viciousness or callousness; that the crime showed an increasing level of seriousness from previous crimes; that the defendant had a prior prison term and was on probation or parole; and that he had prior poor performance on probation or parole, the district attorney’s office reported.
Mendoza was previously arrested on April 27 for violating a restraining order, violating his post-release supervision, and resisting arrest.
On April 29, the court raised concerns about his mental health competency to stand trial and appointed two doctors to evaluate him, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.
On May 28, both doctors concluded that Mendoza was not competent to stand trial. The court then dismissed the parole violation charge, in accordance with state law. Despite numerous attempts by Mendoza’s counsel to dismiss the cases outright, the court followed the state Legislature’s direction and ordered mental health diversion for Mendoza, with supervised release for the two remaining misdemeanors.
Senate Bill 317, passed in 2021, was designed to allow mental illness treatment for low-level offenses instead of jail time. The law authorized courts to order mental health evaluations and grant diversion or dismiss charges for defendants who are found incompetent to stand trial.
Ramiro Ochoa Mendoza, 36, a man living in Napa County, Calif., is suspected of murdering a man and leaving his body under a bridge. (Napa County Police Department)
Mendoza did not appear in court for his follow-up mental health diversion review and was found to be out of compliance with the diversion program. But because the law prohibits prosecution of misdemeanor charges for anyone incompetent to stand trial, the court was required to dismiss the remaining charges on July 8, according to the county district attorney.
Napa County Deputy District Attorney Katie Susemihl, who is prosecuting the case against Mendoza, said the state’s recent law changes factored into the situation.
“This case highlights the real-world impact of the recent legal reforms, where courts are required to prioritize mental health treatment over traditional prosecution, even when defendants exhibit an unwillingness or inability to comply with court-ordered programs,” Susemihl said in a statement.
