GREEN COVE SPRINGS — A lawyer for a former Orange Park High School star wrestler is trying to convince jurors the defendant was insane when he killed his girlfriend five years ago.
In August 2006 authorities arrested Joshua Maulsby in the beating death of 19-year-old Alicia Castaneda. Then 21, a grand jury indicted Maulsby on a first-degree murder charge.
Since then he spent time in a state mental hospital, with authorities not finding him competent to stand trial until now. Defense counsel Charlie Truncale said his client admits to the homicide. He's building a case aimed at getting a jury to believe he is not guilty by reason of insanity.
Medical Examiner Valerie Rao testified today about the victim's fatal injuries, including physical evidence that showed Castaneda tried to protect herself from blows from a baseball bat.
Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Maulsby didn't react as graphic evidence photos of Castaneda's injuries went up on courtroom screens for jurors to see.
Forensic psychologist William Meadows testified he believed the defendant was legally insane at the time of the crime.
He said Maulsby was struggling with schizophrenia before the slaying. The witness also said the defendant's family previously sought mental health treatment for him after he became paranoid and threatened them with a knife.
In a cross-exam, Assistant State Attorney Steve Nelson's line of questioning showed the defendant was able to go to work and drive on the day of the homicide. It also showed Maulsby didn't admit guilt in the beginning of what became a three-hour police interview.
The victim was an honors student and student council member who graduated from Orange Park High in 2005. Maulsby won a wrestling state championship before his graduation in 2003.
The trial before Circuit Judge John Skinner continues in Clay County on Wednesday.
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