An ex-con was charged Thursday with fatally stabbing a 62-year-old man on a Metro Gold Line train in the Duarte area, but concerns about his mental competence to stand trial arose soon after the case was filed.
Criminal proceedings against Peter Munoz were suspended after a doubt was declared about his mental competency, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Munoz, 51, of Commerce, is charged with murder for Tuesday's slaying of Xuezhong Bao, pronounced dead at the Duarte Station in the 1600 block of East Duarte Road after the train stopped there about 11:35 a.m. Tuesday.
The murder charge includes an allegation that Munoz personally used a knife in the commission of the crime. He is also charged with a felony count of carrying a dirk or dagger.
The felony complaint alleges that Munoz has a string of prior convictions dating back to 1985 for crimes including assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and drug-related offenses.
Munoz was arrested Tuesday night after investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed surveillance video, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported. A motive for the crime was unknown.
