A Santa Maria man charged with stabbing his parents last week will undergo a mental health evaluation at the request of his defense attorney.
Jhordy Diaz Ramirez, 21, appeared in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Friday morning for the continued arraignment hearing with several friends on hand to support him.
Ramirez is charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon along with special allegations of inflicting great bodily injury on both victims. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest.
On May 12, Ramirez allegedly stabbed his parents in the 300 block of East Newlove Drive. His father, Ricardo Ramirez, 41, was released from the hospital hours later while injuries to his mother, Silvia Narciso, 40, were more serious, authorities said.
Friday morning, Judge James Iwasko granted defense attorney David Bixby’s request for an evaluation to determine if the alleged attack stemmed from a mental health condition.
“We need to get that process going,” Bixby told the judge. “I just want to make sure that somebody is able to see him.”
Ramirez did not enter a plea Friday morning and the judge agreed to continue the arraignment to Thursday in Department 6.
Deputy District Attorney Lynmarc Jenkins is prosecuting the case.
Outside of court, the defense attorney said his preliminary review of the circumstances revealed Ramirez had started stabbing himself, and that his parents became injured trying to stop their son.
More than a dozen friends showed up for the hearing on Friday morning to support Ramirez who had participated in the Balderas family boxing gym that produced Olympian Carlos Balderas.
The friends said the attack on his parents was out of character for Ramirez, who they described as a kind, loving and honest person.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Jose Balderas said of his reaction when he heard of Ramirez’s arrest. “I know it wasn’t him.”
“He’s not like that,” Balderas added.
Another friend, Josue Espinoza said the case highlights the need to get help for youths and young adults suffering from depression, drug use and mental health problems.
“There’s thousands and thousands of kids out there, in Santa Maria and all over the world that need help like this, that are on the breaking point,” Espinoza said.
He added that Ramirez and others experiencing similar troubles need treatment, not prison.
“For Jhordy, prison is not the right way. For Jhordy, we need to get him help,” Espinoza said.
The community needs to recognize the serious problem and find solutions, he added.
Ramirez had good grades in high school, went to college, but dropped out as depression worsened and he allegedly fell into drugs, friends said.
“He is not that monster they paint him to be. He is not. He is not. Jhordy’s a good kid,” Espinoza said.
Ramirez remains in custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at more than $1 million.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.