Criminal proceedings were suspended after a doubt was declared Thursday about the mental competency of a woman accused of fatally stabbing her mother at a home in El Monte.
Kimberly Monique Gonzalez, 25, was charged Tuesday with one count each of murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The case includes an allegation that she personally used a knife in the commission of the crime.
She is accused of killing her mother, 44-year-old Jacqueline Perez, at a home in the 11000 block of Ranchito Street.
El Monte Police Department officers responded to the home about 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Perez was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Gonzalez was spotted by police outside the residence, covered in blood.
There was no immediate word on a possible motive for the killing. Sheriff’s officials said a possible murder weapon was recovered at the scene.
Neighbors told reporters there was a child’s birthday party at the home over the weekend. Friends of the victim told ABC7 that Gonzalez has struggled with drugs, and that Perez was raising her two children.
Gonzalez is jailed without bail, according to sheriff’s records.
A mental competency status conference is scheduled Dec. 8 in a Pomona courtroom.
