Defendant charged with parents' murders delays entering plea
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (BCN) - A Sonoma County man was charged in Sonoma County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon with the stabbing murders of his parents in their home near Sebastopol Monday.
Nathan Alexander Wilson, 34, is charged with two counts of murder, an enhancement alleging more than one murder victim and use of a deadly weapon. His attorney Kristine Burk delayed entering a plea until Dec. 7.
Wilson was arrested late Monday afternoon in Mendocino County after law enforcement in the Bay area was alerted about the murders of David Wilson, 66, and Adrianne Chapin, 60, in their home at 1220 Sexton Road in the Twin Hills area of unincorporated Sonoma County.
They were stabbed with a sharp object and a possible weapon was found in the residence where Nathan also lived, Sonoma County sheriff's Sergeant Cecile Focha said.
Wilson left his parents' home in a dark gray 2006 Toyota 4-wheel drive truck, Focha said. The truck was found around 4:30 p.m. Monday parked on Tomki Road in the Redwood Valley area.
Ukiah police spotted Wilson walking down a street near the Mendo Mill and Lumber Company. Wilson lied about his name, but Ukiah police identified him as the wanted murder suspect from the driver's license in his pocket, Focha said.
David Wilson's brother found the bodies covered in blood on the floor of the Sexton Road home and called the sheriff's dispatch center, Focha said. Deputies responded around 9:30 a.m. Wilson's brother said he also saw Nathan Wilson, covered in blood, near a shed on the rural property, Focha said.
A dozen friends and family members attended Wednesday afternoon's brief arraignment. Wilson did not speak other than to say yes when the Judge Shelly Averill asked if he wanted to delay entering a plea. The group left quickly and went to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.
Posts on Facebook mention Wilson's parents struggled with their son's and daughter's mental illness. Chapin was a member of Sisters on the New Moon and Diana's Grove women's group.
Chapin's friend Nikki Dohn called Chapin "a brilliant and creative force for good," and a devoted mother and an advocate of ending domestic violence.
Attorney Burk said she will speak with Wilson to determine if he is competent to understand the legal proceedings and participate in his defense. She said Wilson's mental health and whether she will pursue an insanity defense is a different issue.
Wilson is being held under no bail in the Sonoma County Jail.