A 24-year-old man arrested following a pursuit Tuesday is suspected of killing his 51-year-old mother and putting her body into her own car after she came to check on him at an El Cajon motel, police said.
Richard Leyva was booked into county jail on suspicion of murder, assault with a deadly weapon and evading law enforcement, police said. Court records depict a man who has in the past struggled with mental health and been accused of prior violent felonies.
The latest incident occurred Tuesday afternoon, when another son of the victim had gone to check on his mother, Jamison Webster, at the Motel 6 on Montrose Court in El Cajon when she had not returned home after going to visit Leyva, said El Cajon police Lt. Nick Sprecco. The son then discovered her body in the trunk of her Hyundai Sonata, Sprecco said.
Officers said there was a physical altercation between the two brothers, and Leyva got into the Hyundai and drove off, striking his brother with the car. He wasn’t injured.
Police responding to a 911 call about a suspicious circumstance at the motel spotted the car and tried to pull over Leyva near Madison and Magnolia avenues, but he took off, leading them on a pursuit from El Cajon to Spring Valley and back to El Cajon.
The chase ended when Leyva crashed into two other vehicles under a freeway over on Mollison Avenue, and officers used a Taser to subdue Leyva, police said. The other two drivers were not hurt.
Leyva is set to be arraigned Friday in El Cajon Superior Court.
Police did not release Webster’s cause of death nor provide additional information Wednesday.
Court records show that Leyva has had encounters with the law over the years and that he was known for going off his medication given to treat his unspecified bipolar disorder. At times, his mother was in court, coming to his defense and ing her son.
According to a filing from his public defender, Leyva’s mental health issues began sometime around June 2021. His mother, who was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was one of the first to report seeing signs of mental health issues in her son.
A month later, he was checked into Temecula Valley Hospital and initially given medication for “acute psychosis,” according to the filing. Within a month, he was reportedly not taking his medication, going to his brother’s home to “provide protection” for his family, and believing his “friends and family were out to get him,” court filings read.
On July 28, 2021, Leyva reportedly went uninvited to the home of a woman he had met on Tinder around 8:30 p.m. When he was asked to leave, he randomly and “without provocation” punched a stranger — an elderly man walking a dog — in the face, according to court records.
Around 9 p.m. that same day, Leyva was spotted at the Sportsplex in Spring Valley by another man walking his dog whom Leyva did not previously know. Leyva began stalking, and then chasing, the man after the dogwalker asked him: “Can I help you?”
The man got into a car and met up with sheriff’s deputies, who escorted him back to the Sportsplex, according to court records. Leyva was standing in the middle of the street.
Leyva had his hands in his pockets, wasn’t responding to the deputies’ commands and had a “1,000-yard stare,” according to one deputy.
Prosecutors charged Leyva with elder abuse causing great bodily injury, assault causing great bodily injury and carrying a concealed knife. Leyva pleaded not guilty in both cases.
While in custody, Leyva received his bipolar diagnosis. On Dec. 21, 2021, he was released into a mental health diversion program.
Upon completion of his treatment, his mom — who was present at a hearing to dismiss one of his cases — said her son had been working toward managing his condition, keeping his appointments with his psychiatrist and taking job interviews.
“Richard is close with his family and friends now,” Webster wrote upon his release from custody. “He has an extremely positive attitude and wants nothing more than to live a productive healthy lifestyle.”
His defense attorney agreed with the assessment from the diversion program s and said he was responsive to his treatment.
“He has been vigilant in attending his program, and ensuring he stays on track with his medication and therapy,” the public defender wrote. “Most importantly, he has posed no danger to the community and showed a very positive attitude.”
Last year, court filings show both cases against Leyva for the 2021 incidents were dismissed.
