A man accused of stabbing his 69-year-old grandfather in the neck Wednesday morning at his home in the Minnehaha area is being held without bail as he awaits the judge’s order for a competency evaluation that was requested by his attorney.
The victim, Richard LaFountain, was in serious condition at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center as of Thursday afternoon, according to a hospital spokesman.
LaFountain’s grandson, 24-year-old Zakary A. French, appeared Thursday morning in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault.
French, who appeared wearing a suicide-prevention smock — given to inmates who may try to harm themselves with standard jail clothing — refused to cooperate, however.
As he approached the judge’s bench, French asked, “Can I die now? Why am I here, dude? Did he die?”
“I hope he’s dead, because I want to die,” he added.
At one point during his hearing, French tried to walk away and was escorted back by corrections deputies, who stood on each side of him holding his waist restraints.
When Judge Gregory Gonzales attempted to appoint Vancouver attorney Chuck Buckley to represent French, he yelled, “(Expletive) the attorney!” and told Buckley, “Go away, man.”
French laughed uncontrollably and loudly rambled over the judge, referencing Mel Gibson, terminators and pushing a button to open a hole in the floor.
Buckley asked Gonzales to order a competency evaluation.
French will be back in court this morning for entry of the order. In the meantime, he is being held without bail.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched about 8:50 a.m. Wednesday to 4000 N.E. 44th Ave. for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, deputies found LaFountain in the dining area of the home, where he was bleeding profusely from his neck, according to an affidavit of probable cause. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
LaFountain’s wife, another grandson and the grandson’s girlfriend were all home at the time but in different areas of the residence. They said they heard the doorbell ring, and then minutes later, heard LaFountain calling for help, the affidavit states.
LaFountain reportedly told his family that French stabbed him. French had fled on foot before deputies arrived.
Deputies said they learned French was living in a tent at a nearby park, and a short time later, found him walking in the park. He had a small amount of blood on his shirt, court records say.
As a precaution, Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt elementary schools and Fir Grove Children’s Center were placed on lockdown while police searched for the suspect.
While being taken into custody, French asked deputies if the “state has lethal injection.” He then proceeded to call the deputies derogatory names, they said, and mumbled to himself as if someone was there, according to court documents.
When investigators tried to interview French, he “passionately stated, ‘I stabbed him in the throat; no regrets. I hope he’s dead. He’s dead isn’t he?’ ” the affidavit states.
