My Dad Ate My Eyes

A Bakersfield, California, man who bit out the eyes of his 4-year-old son during a gruesome PCP-fuelled rage will likely spend the rest of his life in a state psychiatric hospital after a Los Angeles County judge accepted the man’s plea of “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity or Mental Defect.”

Two state psychologists provide reports to the judge stating Angelo Mendoza Sr. was insane at the time he committed the gruesome act and is unlikely to regain competence any time soon.

Mendoza Photo: The Bakersfield Californian

An Argument Starts it All

On April 28, 2009, Angelo Mendoza Sr. called Bakersfield police after the mother of the boy caused a disturbance at his home. The woman, Deserai Bermudez, left the home before police arrived. Mendoza told officers he recently stopped taking his psychiatric medications, though nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Both Mendoza and his son were unharmed when officers left the home.

A Horrific Discovery

Neighbors called police later the same day after discovering the injured child in the home that Mendoza shared with his father. Those same neighbors informed police they witnessed a man in a wheelchair in the backyard cutting his legs with an ax.

Mendoza Paralyzed in Attack Four Years Earlier

Mendoza used a wheelchair after a 2005 stabbing left him paralyzed. Mendoza was stabbed four times in the back. He told police that the Mexican Mafia had injured him and his child before police took him into custody.

The little boy was badly injured but still conscious. Police asked him what happened to his eyes, to which he replied, “My daddy ate my eyes out.”

Police charged Mendoza with aggravated mayhem, torture, willful cruelty to a child, and inflicting injury upon a child. The judge placed Mendoza at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk after accepting the insanity plea.

High on PCP

Turns out, more than stopping medication influenced this attack. Mendoza was high on PCP when he attacked his son. In 2006, he and Bermudez had been charged with child cruelty stemming from an incident in which both were high on PCP. A case with DCF was opened against the couple after the incident.

Mendoza’s lengthy criminal history dates back to 1997.

Bermudez had a warrant on her at the time of the attack. She did not complete a court-ordered drug treatment program.

The boy received treatment for his injuries at an area hospital. The attack left him blind in his left eye but the right eye made a remarkable recovery. He spent some time in foster care before the state placed him with an aunt.

When Will Mendoza Get Released From the State Hospital?

Experts say the likelihood is good that Mendoza will spend the remainder of his life in the state psychiatric hospital. A person must be found to be restored to sanity before a judge approved outpatient treatment. This requires lengthy treatment and improvement. Before a person can be released from custody altogether, a court must be deemed no longer insane and no longer a danger to himself or others. This requires plenty of evidence and agreement from a judge. By Criminal Matters

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