A man accused of gunning down his parents in their Point Loma home nearly two yeas ago, on the day after Thanksgiving, entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity today.
Peter David Haynes, 24, faces life in prison without parole if he’s convicted — and found sane — in the killings of Dr. David Haynes and Lissa Haynes on Nov. 28, 2014.
The defendant is charged with two counts of murder and special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and multiple murders. His trial is set for Jan. 31.
If Haynes is convicted, his attorneys will try to convince a jury that he was insane at the time of the murders.
The defendant shot his 61-year-old mother, Lissa, the morning after Thanksgiving, then ambushed his father when the 62-year-old emergency room physician came downstairs to check on his wife, according to evidence presented at a preliminary hearing in January.
Courtney Gant, who lives next door, testified she heard screaming, yelling and what sounded like gunshots about 3 a.m.
The witness said she looked down into the victims’ kitchen and saw someone walking, then heard a male voice say, “He shot her in the chest. I think she’s dead.”
Gant said she saw the silhouette of a man consistent with Peter Haynes standing outside a sliding glass door holding a gun.
She said she was on the phone with a 911 operator when she heard a man scream, then three to four more shots.
San Diego police Officer Bradford Green testified that he found Lissa Haynes’ lifeless body and a mortally wounded David Haynes after another officer kicked in the front door.
“He (David Haynes) said, ‘My son shot me,’ ” the officer testified.
When asked why his son shot him, David Haynes responded, “He’s schizophrenic,” according to Green.
David and Lissa Haynes both were pronounced dead at a hospital.
Officer Andrew Korenkov testified that the victims’ armed son, who appeared confused, was arrested without incident some time after 6:30 a.m. near the crime scene.
Deputy Medical Examiner Steven Campman testified that Lissa Haynes was shot once in the chest and her husband was shot nine times.
—City News Service
