Stepbrother Stabbing Suspect 'Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity'

GARDEN GROVE, CA — A man accused of murdering his stepbrother was found not guilty by reason of insanity, Thursday, court records show.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley determined that Andres Adolfo Serrat, 29, committed second-degree murder in the August 2015, when he stabbed his stepbrother, 20-year-old Donte Barcalo. The judge found Serrat was insane at the time, due to multiple diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia.

In August of 2015, the victim's mother called police to their home at the Florentine Apartments on the 13200 block of Casa Linda Lane. Her son was stabbed, she told arriving officers. She disclosed that Serrat stabbed Barcalo, dropped the kitchen knife, and ran.

Police found him a short time later in an alleyway and placed Serrat under arrest. The circumstances of that crime, and another altercation with officers later, were largely due to the suspect's mental condition, according to officials.

Conley said the standard to prove first-degree murder, which includes premeditation and deliberation, was "quite high," and he did not find evidence Serrat had an intent to kill the victim.

"The people have done a good job showing it might be first-degree murder, but I'm not persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt it was first-degree murder," Conley said. The judge noted that several psychologists who examined Serrat were "old pros on the court panel," and they all concluded Serrat was insane at the time of the stabbing.

"There's remarkable unanimity among the psychologists," Conley said.

Serrat's attorney, Jacob DeGrave of the Orange County Public Defender's Office, said he was pleased with the judge's rulings.

"The hospital is the right place for him," DeGrave said of his client. "I'm just happy he's going to get the treatment he needs."

Conley also found Serrat was insane at the time he committed a misdemeanor assault on a police officer while in custody.

An Orange County Superior Court judge will decide in mid-February, which state hospital Serrat will be sent to for treatment.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.