Prosecutors say 47-year-old Willie King was released as part of the state’s mental health diversion program before allegedly fatally shooting a man.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 47-year-old man accused in a deadly shooting in Sacramento appeared in court Thursday, as prosecutors argued the killing should have never happened.
Willie King faces a murder charge in connection with a March 12 shooting on Washington Avenue, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Because of the charge, he is no longer eligible for release under California’s mental health diversion program.
Prosecutors allege the victim was fixing a fence when King drove up, got out of his car, said something, and shot the man.
“There was a man who was simply fixing a fence, and the defendant drove by in his car, got out of it, mumbled something to the victim, and shot him in cold blood,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho.
Ho said King had been released from jail before the shooting under the state’s mental health diversion program, despite objections from prosecutors.
According to the district attorney, King had three prior strike convictions for burglary. His most recent charge before his release involved assaulting a sheriff’s deputy while in custody.
“We charged him with that crime and because he applied and received for mental health diversion over my office’s objection, he was able to get out of custody,” Ho said.
California’s controversial mental health diversion law, enacted in 2018, allows some defendants to receive treatment instead of remaining in custody.
“It allows anybody who’s in custody for charges like attempted murder, assault, a drive-by shooting, a robbery to get out of custody and all that person needs is a doctor’s note that says they’re suffering from ADHD, or depression, or caffeine addiction and then basically, they get out of custody to get treatment,” Ho said.
He said prosecutors face a high burden to block such releases.
“At the end of the day, it requires me to be Nostradamus, to be a fortune teller, and how am I supposed to do that?” Ho said. “Our hands are tied behind our backs trying to ensure public safety.”
Ho called the law a threat to public safety and linked it to multiple deaths.
“Sadly, tragically, we now have somebody that has died as a result of this law that simply needs to be changed,” Ho said. “Willie King got out of custody, and he killed an innocent man.”
King is being held without bail. His next court date is scheduled for April 8.
The district attorney said he hopes proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 46, will bring changes to the diversion program.
The bill recently passed a state Senate committee and is now under further consideration. It would give judges more discretion in deciding whether defendants qualify for mental health diversion.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the identity of the man killed.
Watch more from ABC10: California bill seeks to limit mental health diversion for high-risk offenders | To The Point
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