A Wisconsin man of Mexican-American heritage, who was charged with homicide as a hate crime after intentionally crashing his truck into a white motorcyclist last summer, has been committed to a psychiatric center for treatment, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Daniel Navarro, 27, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide with a hate crime enhancer for the July 3 crash that killed Phillip Thiessen, a retired special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and a former police officer, according a report in the Associated Press.
Navarro was driving his father’s red pickup truck east on Winnebago Drive when he saw what he described as a white motorcyclist on the opposite side of the road, according to a report on WLUK-TV. Navarro reportedly swerved into the westbound lane, crashing into the motorcycle driven by Thiessen, who was found dead on the road later that day.
Phillip Thiessen was killed by motorcycle driver in July. (Photo courtesy of Zacheri Funeral Home)
Navarro told police he believes people in Wisconsin who drive Harleys are typically “white racists,” according to the WLUK report.
“He chose a motorcycle instead of a car, because he wanted the driver to die, and not just be injured or paralyzed,” Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said in the television news conference, according to WLUK. “He said that all the people that caused him these problems in his life are Caucasian or white.” (RELATED: La Raza Leader: Trump A Racist ‘By Definition’)
After two psychiatric exams, it was determined Navarro is not mentally competent to stand trial, WLUK reported. The mental commitment order was made Wednesday by Judge Richard Nuss. No date is listed for the next review of Navarro’s mental state.