OROVILLE — Andrew Nathan Iles, 35, of Oroville, was declared legally insane by a Butte County judge on Wednesday.
Iles had pleaded guilty in December to killing his mother back in January 2022 with a shotgun. According to a press release issued Wednesday by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, Iles had a clash with his mother and step-father over the shotgun claiming they had tampered with it but the argument died down after he shot the gun outside. Later in the day, Iles called 911 and said he had shot his mother.
The release said Iles told law enforcement that he believed he had been poisoned by her and that he tried to perform life-saving measures after calling 911.
“Iles is an Air Force veteran with no previous criminal record,” Ramsey said in the release. “He was honorably discharged in 2010 and returned to Oroville to live with his mother and stepfather. After his return home, Iles suffered from paranoid thoughts and delusions, believing the government and others, including his mother, were trying to kill him. Iles was ultimately diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia while seeking mental health treatment through the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Chico.”
Three psychologists were appointed by the court to provide Iles with an evaluation and two agreed that he was insane during the incident. It was Judge Jesus Rodriguez who declared Isles insane. He was also prescribed schizophrenia medication but it was determined that he had stopped taking the medicine by the time of the shooting.
Iles is due back in court on Feb. 7, 2024 at which point the court will decide where he will go for treatment. Although Iles will not serve prison time, he faces the possibility that he will be committed to a state hospital for the rest of his life.
