Opinion ID: 4521494
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Indictment and Psychiatric Commitment

Text: Vega-Gutierrez was indicted on these charges: (1) one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a), (b)(1)(A) and 846 (Count 1); (2) two counts of distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, in violation of § 841(a), (b)(1)(A), and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (Counts 2-3); (3) two counts of possessing with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, in violation of §§ 841(a), 3 Case: 19-13192 Date Filed: 04/01/2020 Page: 4 of 13 (b)(1)(A), and 2 (Counts 4-5); and (4) one count of possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully present in the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(5) and 924(a)(2) (Count 6). Codefendant Vega-Perez was also charged in Counts 1 through 5, and codefendant Robertson was charged in Counts 1 and 4. Defendant Vega-Gutierrez initially pled not guilty and moved the court to order a psychiatric examination and a hearing to determine whether he was competent to stand trial. Due to concerns regarding Vega-Gutierrez’s deficits in cognition, memory, and communication, the district court granted his motion for a psychiatric examination, stayed his case, and ordered him committed for treatment. After about nine months of commitment, Vega-Gutierrez was re-examined and adjudicated competent to stand trial. Together, Vega-Gutierrez’s various psychiatric examinations showed that he had suffered from: (1) a previous concussion; (2) concussion-related symptoms, including short-term memory loss, dementia, dizziness, disorientation, hearing loss, blurry vision, loss of speech, and hearing voices and sounds; (3) borderline intellectual functioning; (4) significant intellectual deficits in verbal language, cognitive efficiency, and thinking ability; (5) cognitive disorder, not otherwise specified; and (6) mental-health diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder - moderate, and somatic symptom disorder. These examinations also revealed that Vega-Gutierrez was from Mexico, grew up in 4 Case: 19-13192 Date Filed: 04/01/2020 Page: 5 of 13 poverty, had almost no formal education, was unfamiliar with the U.S. justice system, spoke no English, and even had difficulty effectively communicating in Spanish.2