Psych Evaluation Ordered: Hacksaw Attack On Mother In Canyon Lake

CANYON LAKE, CA — A judge Monday ordered a psychiatric evaluation of a man who allegedly tried to kill his 91-year-old mother with a hacksaw, cutting off half of her foot in her Canyon Lake home.

Mark Robert Vermillion, 61, of Lake Elsinore was arrested on Oct. 8 following the alleged attack on Marian Vermillion.

The defendant was slated to be arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon on charges of attempted murder, torture and elder abuse, as well as several sentence-enhancing allegations of inflicting great bodily injury on a person over 70 years old.

However, Vermillion's public defender submitted a motion requesting a detailed examination of his client based on concerns that he is mentally incompetent. Gallon agreed and referred the matter to court-appointed behavioral health specialists, postponing the defendant's arraignment at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta until further notice.

Vermillion is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Reese, the defendant called 911 about 3 p.m. on Oct. 8 and allegedly admitted that he had just tried to kill his mother at her two-story home in the 30400 block of South Fork Drive.

Deputies reached the location within a few minutes and found the victim in her bedroom, with half of her right foot severed, Reese said. She was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where she was in critical but stable condition last week. It was unclear whether she remained hospitalized.

The defendant was taken into custody without a struggle. He has no documented prior felony convictions.