Fresno County man charged with murdering his mother was prescribed mental health medication at the time of the incident

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Nearly four years after a Fresno County man allegedly killed his mother, murder suspect Jose Juan Mata was back in court Wednesday.

Mata is charged with murder in Maria Elias’ death.

In May 2020, Elias’ 30-year-old son appeared intently focused on the witness stand as his defense attorney asked a former detective to trace Mata’s whereabouts.

“The furthest he went was about 18 or 20 miles around town, right?” said defense attorney Curtis Sok. “It’s only a little over 20 miles away, but yes,” said Benjamin Gonzalez, a former detective with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

Gonzalez’s testimony came during the second day prosecutors presented their case to the judge.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has charged Mata with one count of murder and is currently trying to prove there is enough evidence to take the case to trial.

Mata has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. He had previously maintained that he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Mata has undergone mental health evaluations at least twice, but his lawyers focused part of their questioning on Mata’s medication at the time of the crime.

“You said he was taking medication for schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression, right?” Sok said. “He didn’t mention schizophrenia, but he did mention anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder,” Gonzalez said.

Detectives said multiple times that Mata made rambling statements during interviews with authorities after the fatal incident.

During cross-examination, the defense attorney asked Gonzalez what Mata’s brother told investigators.

“But he also said he never saw Jose be violent to Maria. So is he referring to his mother?” Sok said. “That’s right,” Gonzalez said.

Wednesday’s heated exchange came a day after the judge heard graphic revealing evidence about how Elias died. On Tuesday, another detective said Elias still had a knife lodged in her chest and a power cord wrapped around her neck when the coroner examined her.

Prosecutors say they plan to call more witnesses to the stand before a judge decides whether there is enough evidence to bring Mata to trial.