The uncle and cousin of a man being released from Napa State Hospital 12 years after after stabbing to death two Rohnert Park women said Wednesday they weren't informed of court release hearings and would have strongly objected.
Rodney Beck, 51, of Nice said prosecutors failed to tell him that his nephew, Mathew Beck, 38, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for killing the elder Beck's fianc? and her mother, was seeking a transfer to a residential treatment facility.
Beck said he or his son voiced their opposition at past hearings in which their mentally ill relative attempted to win his freedom. But this time they didn't get a call and Beck's transfer was approved Tuesday by a Sonoma County judge.
"I'm furious," said Rodney Beck, who said he's lived in the same Lake County home with the same phone number for 10 years.
"He killed my fianc?. I'm still single after 12 years," Beck said.
Prosecutor Bill Brockley, who argued against Beck's release, said he had no contact information for Beck or his son, Hank Beck, who was 12 years old when e witnessed the slayings of Sandra Napier, 36 and her mother, Marcella Napier, 63.
Brockley said he talked to another family member who promised to get a hold of the men. Neither would have been allowed to testify anyway, he said.
"I am extremely empathetic to his reaction," Brockley said. "I was also disappointed with the ruling. But I did everything possible to try to get in touch with him."
Mathew Beck is expected to be released to an unlocked facility in Manteca before being transferred to a residential treatment center west of Santa Rosa near Highway 12.
Officials said he'll be closely supervised and could remain in the facility for years. He eventually could be released to an independent living situation.
His cousin, Hank Beck, now 25, said his family moved from Sonoma County to try to escape the memories of the killings. He said the dead women's relatives still in the area and would be horrified to bump into Beck on the street.
"He's my first cousin and I wouldn't feel safe around him," Hank Beck said. "I don't see how anybody could not see him as a threat to society."
The killings capped a week of bizarre behavior when Mathew Beck came to live with his uncle after being kicked out of the Air Force. The family sensed problems and took him to a mental health clinic,where he was given medication and sent away.
On Feb. 10, 2000, Beck snapped. He grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Sandra Napier 28 times before turning on her mother, stabbing her 17 times.
Beck told police he was an angel of god and the women were evil spirits.
He was deemed insane at the time of the killing and confined to the state mental hospital.
Doctors later diagnosed him as having a bipolar disorder that was treatable with medication. He first sought release in 2004 and again in 2008.
Last week, three doctors testified he was no longer a danger and was fit for a conditional release program.
In an email, Mike Beck said his brother was still the "good man" that he was before the killings. He said his brother had been assaulted while serving time in military prison and snapped after he was unable to get adequate help from local doctors.
"He had a severe mental condition and is not a cold-blooded killer!" Beck wrote.
But his uncle called his release from Napa State "absurd." Anyone else would be serving a life prison sentence for his actions, he said.
"He killed two innocent women," Rodney Beck said. "He should never see the light of day."
You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.
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