A Santa Rosa man accused of stabbing his father to death during a confrontation last year in their Rincon Valley home pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday.
Houston Herczog, 22, is charged with murder in the Nov. 21, 2011, slaying of Mark Herczog, 63, who died after being stabbed more than 50 times.
Doctors found Houston Herczog was mentally competent to stand trial, but his lawyer said he was insane at the time of the killing.
Judge Dana Simonds ordered two additional psychiatrists to examine Herczog to determine his state of mind. She will consider their findings at a hearing set for Dec. 11.
If Herczog is deemed to have been insane after either a trial or an agreement by prosecutors, he could be ordered to spend at least six months in a state mental hospital.
He would be released without further charges if his sanity is restored, said his lawyer, Karen Silver.
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