Napa Man Held To Answer On Fatal Shooting Of His Mother

A Napa man has been held over for trial on charges that he killed his mother with a rifle at their Lake Berryessa home in December.

Joseph Brook Conkright, 20, is charged with murder and possession of an assault rifle, Napa County Deputy District Attorney Gary Van Camp said.

Conkright will re-enter pleas to the charges on May 8.

• Previous:
• Monday’s Shooting At Lake Berryessa Ruled Homicide.
• Fatal Accidental Shooting Reported This Afternoon At Lake Berryessa.

Conkright claims the gun went off accidentally when he set it down on a coffee table before cleaning the weapon at the family’s home in the 200 block of Manzanita Lane on Dec. 8, Van Camp said.

However, Van Camp argued the shooting was intentional.

“This was a horrible, tragic accident that has been compounded by these charges,” defense attorney Matthew Bishop said.

At a preliminary hearing this week, a Department of Justice firearms expert testified that the muzzle of the rifle was less than a foot from Conkright’s mother, 54-year-old Danae Dee Conkright, Van Camp said.

Bishop countered that the firearms expert also testified that if a weapon is dropped it will discharge roughly half the time. The victim suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

--Bay City News