The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced that David Hoetzlein, 29, of Camarillo admitted in court Aug. 13 that he strangled and killed his mother, Tomoko Hoetzlein, 62, in their Camarillo home in 2022.
However, because of a severe mental disorder that prevented him from having the mental capacity required to be held criminally responsible at the time of the killing, Hoetzlein was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Hoetzlein admitted to second-degree murder of his mother. Two independent doctors evaluated Hoetzlein and each concluded he met the legal criteria for a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors did not object to those opinions based on Hoetzlein’s documented mental health history, the doctors’ reports, and input from Hoetzlein’s family.
“Tomoko Hoetzlein was a devoted mother who did everything in her power to get her son the mental health treatment he desperately needed,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Erin Meister. “Tragically, she lost her life while trying to help him.”
David Hoetzlein, then 25, was arrested after his mother’s dismembered remains were found in a dumpster at the Las Positas Apartments complex.
According to The Ventura County Star, Hoetzlein’s sister, Mao Cardenas, filed a federal lawsuit in 2023 against the Vista del Mar psychiatric hospital, Ventura County and other defendants, alleging wrongful death, civil rights violations and neglect.
Cardenas claimed that despite the family and primary psychiatrist’s objections, the facility released her brother in 2022 with an incorrect diagnosis and prescription, putting her mother’s life at risk. The next day, her mother asked the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to place him on a mental health hold after he allegedly stole her car and battered her, but deputies determined he did not meet the requirements, Cardenas claimed.
Vista del Mar and the county have denied fault and legal responsibility.