The Gilroy woman charged with murder for killing her husband and daughter in a drunken car crash in Los Gatos 10 months ago has been deemed mentally competent to withstand trial, despite opposite claims from her defense.
On Nov. 28, Judge Ron Del Pozzo gave the go-ahead to the criminal proceedings that have been stalled since September, when Stacey Lonnberg claimed mental instability to avoid trial.
Three psychologists evaluated Lonnberg, two of them finding her mental state to be in good enough health to not interfere with a fair trial, according to Matthew Braker, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14 in San Jose. Up to this point, Lonnberg has not entered a plea.
If all goes smoothly, Lonnberg’s trial will commence sometime in May, Braker said.
Lonnberg’s husband Fred Lonnberg, 57, and her daughter Tiffiny Gillette, 26, died when Stacy was driving under the influence and rolled the family’s pickup truck on Highway 85 in Los Gatos on Jan. 14, 2012, according to the California Highway Patrol. Lonnberg’s blood-alcohol content measured twice the legal limit at 0.16.
Lonnberg is in custody on two counts of murder and one count of child endangerment, as her 3-year-old grandson (Tiffiny’s son) was in the pickup at the time of the wreck but suffered no major injuries, Braker said.
Tiffiny was pronounced dead the scene, and Lonnberg’s husband was pronounced dead hours later at Valley Medical Center.
Originally charged with manslaughter, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office upped Lonnberg’s charges to murder on Jan. 25. If convicted, Lonnberg could face a minimum of 15 years in prison.
