The murder case against the 23-year-old Bakersfield woman accused of killing a married couple in a drunk-driving crash has hit another delay. A Kern County judge has ordered a developmental disability evaluation for Anabell Correa, pushing her competency proceedings back with a report not expected until next month.
Correa is charged with two counts of murder in connection with the crash that killed Max Austin Mooney and Desiree Paula Noelle Mooney, according to KGET 17 News. Her competency trial was postponed after her attorney, Paul Brar, argued that she has a developmental disability, a claim he raised at a Friday morning readiness hearing, per the outlet's report. The judge appointed Kern Regional Center, a nonprofit that offers services and support to people and families affected by developmental disabilities, to evaluate Correa.
The evaluation report is due in court on November 30, meaning the case will remain paused for weeks while that assessment moves forward. Correa cannot stand trial unless and until she is found competent, a standard that requires understanding the charges against her and being able to assist in preparing her defense. As one outlet put it, she “would not stand trial unless it's determined she understands the charges against her and can assist in preparing a defense,” according to a report from yahoo.com.
A Competing Finding From a Forensic Psychologist
The new evaluation follows a different conclusion reached just last month. A forensic psychologist examined Correa in September and found her competent to stand trial, the station's report notes. Brar requested a trial to challenge that finding, and a judge granted the request, setting up the current dispute over Correa's mental fitness to face the murder charges.
With the competency question unresolved, the timing of any criminal trial for Correa remains uncertain, per the same account.
The Crash That Started the Case
The case traces back to March 16, 2025, when Correa, then 21, allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Coffee Road and Stockdale Highway and struck a rideshare vehicle, according to the Yahoo report. Max Austin Mooney and Desiree Paula Noelle Mooney, a married couple both 30 years old, were passengers in that vehicle. Max Mooney died at the scene, while Desiree Mooney was pronounced dead at Kern Medical.
Court filings stated that Correa's blood-alcohol content measured 0.088 percent, above California's legal limit of 0.080 percent. The driver of the rideshare vehicle and another passenger were also injured in the crash, as reported by KGET 17 News.
Charges and the Path to Trial
A Superior Court judge previously found sufficient evidence to order Correa to stand trial on all charges, including second-degree murder, according to the outlet's coverage. Kern County prosecutors filed two counts of second-degree murder along with two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, four counts related to DUI causing injury, driving without a license, and failing to stop at a red light. Not-guilty pleas were entered on Correa's behalf.
Now the case sits in limbo again, awaiting the outcome of the Kern Regional Center evaluation before any trial — on competency or on the underlying murder charges — can move forward.
