Reedley man’s sanity questioned in Fresno County killings of grandmother and market owner
A Fresno County judge has suspended court proceedings against a Reedley man accused of fatally shooting two women on Christmas Day, in order for a psychiatrist to determine whether he is mentally competent for a trial.
Austin Alvarez, 23, is charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for allegedly shooting and killing his grandmother Magdalena Alvarez, 58, and his father’s girlfriend, Meisa Rashid, 39.
The killings rocked the communities of Reedley and Orange Cove, where Rashid was the longtime owner of Primo Market.
Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies said the shooting happened shortly before 1:45 p.m. on Saturday when they got a report of gunfire at a home in the 17000 block of Goodfellow Avenue, just outside the Reedley city limits.
When deputies arrived they found the two victims, Alvarez and Rashid, dead inside the home. As he ran from the home, Alvarez noticed his father sitting in a parked car. He fired several shots at him, but missed.
Deputies believe the shooting started after Alvarez arrived at the house where family members had gathered to celebrate Christmas.
Alvarez was due to be arraigned Wednesday but his public defender Tomas Kunder raised a concern about his ability to understand what was happening to him.
Kunder asked the court to have Alvarez evaluated by a court-appointed psychiatrist to determine if his client is mentally competent.
Judge Michael Idiart approved the request and suspended the court proceedings against Alvarez.
He will return to court on Feb. 10 after his evaluation.
Alvarez faces up to 84-years-to-life in prison, if he is found to be mentally competent and a jury finds him guilty on all charges, said Kelly Smith, senior deputy district attorney.
