David Hoetzlein admitted in a Ventura County courtroom this week that he strangled his mother, Tomoko Hoetzlein, inside their Camarillo home in 2022, and a judge found him not guilty by reason of insanity after two independent doctors concluded he met the legal standard for the plea. Hoetzlein, born June 4, 1997, now awaits formal commitment to a maximum-security state mental hospital.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced that Hoetzlein admitted in court that he strangled and killed his mother, and that prosecutors did not object to the two doctors' opinions that he had a severe mental disorder preventing the mental capacity required for criminal responsibility at the time of the killing. The office said Hoetzlein's family provided input regarding the case, and described Tomoko Hoetzlein as a devoted mother who had sought mental health treatment for her son.
“Tomoko lost her life while trying to help her son,” Erin Meister said, according to the district attorney's office.
A Killing Rooted in a Credit Card Dispute
According to court filings reported by the Camarillo Acorn, Hoetzlein choked his mother from behind on June 2, 2022, and dismembered her body after the two argued over a credit card balance he owed her. Human remains were discovered the next morning, around 6:50 a.m., by a man searching for recyclables in a dumpster at the Las Positas Apartments on Townsite Promenade in Camarillo, as reported by Newsweek. Hoetzlein then barricaded himself inside the apartment the two shared for hours before Ventura County Sheriff's deputies detained him.
Just two days before the killing, Hoetzlein had been released from Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Ventura, despite his mother sending written pleas to the hospital, caseworkers, and police warning that she would be in danger if he returned home, according to the Thousand Oaks Acorn. In the aftermath, Ventura County Behavioral Health suspended the hospital's license to involuntarily evaluate and treat psychiatric patients under 5150 holds, restoring the county's Hillmont Psychiatric Center as the sole provider of that authority in the area.
Daughter's Federal Lawsuit Alleges Unsafe Release
In July 2023, Tomoko Hoetzlein's daughter, Mao Cardenas, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Ventura County, the City of Camarillo, Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital, and attending psychiatrists, alleging gross negligence and an unsafe release tied to a reduced medication regimen, per court filings cited by Rafu Shimpo. The suit contends facility supervisors failed to heed clear warning signs before discharging Hoetzlein.
Nearly Two Years Lost to a Competency Fight
Criminal proceedings against Hoetzlein were formally suspended in August 2022 after his public defender raised doubts about his mental state, and court-ordered evaluations found him incompetent to stand trial, the Camarillo Acorn reported at the time. California law requires criminal cases to pause until a defendant is able to understand proceedings and assist in his own defense.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kristi Peariso ruled on May 16, 2024, that Hoetzlein had been restored to mental competency after psychiatric reports confirmed he could understand the proceedings against him and work with his defense counsel, according to Rafu Shimpo. That ruling cleared the path for the case to eventually move to this week's plea and NGRI finding.
What Happens Next Under California Law
Hoetzlein is scheduled to return to Ventura County Superior Court on August 27 to be formally placed in a maximum-security state mental hospital, according to KEYT. Under California Penal Code Section 1026, individuals found not guilty by reason of insanity are committed to state psychiatric facilities for treatment, and that confinement can match the maximum statutory sentence for the underlying crime and be extended further if hearings determine the person still poses a public safety risk, per research published on PMC.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko's office originally filed murder charges against Hoetzlein in June 2022, with bail set at $3 million. Prosecutors said this week that they agreed to the not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity finding based on extensive psychiatric documentation and after weighing the family's own concurrence with the outcome.
