William Jesus Marrufo was the drummer for the band Ozomatli.

On January 5, 2005, Marrufo was arrested for beating, slashing and stabbing his mother to death with two meat cleavers and a boning knife. Marrufo informed detectives that he believed his mother was possessed by Satan and that he was trying to save her soul. He was convicted in 2006 of first degree murder with an enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon.

Marrufo was subsequently found not guilty by reason of insanity and was placed into a state mental institution.

Wikipedia.org

Former Drummer Committed After Hacking Mother to Pieces With Meat Cleaver

FoxNews.com

Saturday, January 27, 2007

SANTA ANA, California — A former drummer for the alternative Latin band Ozomatli who was found to be insane when he hacked his mother to death with a meat cleaver and boning knife was committed Friday to a state mental hospital.

A judge ordered William Marrufo hospitalized until a jury determines that his sanity has been restored.

A jury in December found that Marrufo, 35, was not guilty by reason of insanity in the January 2005 killing of his 58-year-old mother, Teresa, in the driveway of their home.

Marrufo told detectives he thought his mother was possessed by Satan and that he was trying to save her soul.

During the trial, defense attorneys said Marrufo is bipolar and was hallucinating during the attack.

Man who killed mother found insane

By Larry Welborn - Ocregister.com

December 8, 2006

Three sisters and the father of a Fountain Valley man who hacked his mother to death with a meat cleaver in 2005 burst out in sobs Thursday when he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

The family of William Marrufo, 34, has supported him since he attacked and killed Teresa Marrufo, 58, in the driveway of their home on Jan. 5, 2005.

Wilbert Marrufo, his father, said they knew Marrufo had been mentally ill for years and were trying to get him psychiatric help.

"We're all very happy," he said.

Marrufo, a former drummer for Ozomatli, a popular multiethnic rock band, told detectives that he thought his mother was possessed by Satan and that he was trying to save her soul.

He walked into court before the verdicts, smiled at his family, blew them kisses and mouthed, "I love you." He sat quietly at the counsel table when the insanity finding was announced after a day of deliberations.

Defense attorney Dennis O'Connell contended that Marrufo is bipolar and was hallucinating at the time of the attack.

"He's going to a mental hospital where he belongs," O'Connell told Marrufo's family as they hugged one another outside the courtroom. "He doesn't belong in prison."

Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey is expected to commit Marrufo to a state mental hospital at a Jan. 26 hearing.

Marrufo will be treated at the hospital until a separate Superior Court jury decides that his sanity has been restored.

Man guilty of stabbing mother to death

Ocregister.com

December 7, 2006

A Santa Ana man was found guilty last week of murdering his mother, Teresa Marrufo, by stabbing her to death with a meat cleaver in front of their Fountain Valley home.

William Jesus Marrufo, 35, was convicted of first degree murder with an enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. He faces 26 years to life in prison.

On Jan. 5, 2005, Marrufo became angry with his mother while she was driving him home from his sister's residence. When they arrived at the house, Marrufo severely beat his mother's head against the pavement in the driveway outside of the home and then went into the house and retrieved two meat cleavers and a boning knife. He went back outside and murdered his mother by slashing and stabbing her to death.

As Marrufo entered a plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity," the trial will be held in two phases, the guilt phase and the sanity phase. As he has been found guilty of murder, a jury will now consider evidence to determine if he was legally sane at the time of the crime.

When a defendant pleads "not guilty by reason of insanity," the burden is on the defense to prove that the defendant was more likely than not legally insane when he committed the crime.

To be considered legally insane, the defense must prove that the defendant had a mental disease or defect when he committed the crime, and also that this defect kept the defendant from understanding the nature of his act or from understanding that his act was morally or legally wrong.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Margaret Roper of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.