Former NPS professor pleads not guilty by reason of insanity in wife’s death

A former Naval Postgraduate School professor accused of brutally killing his ex-wife in 2012 pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday.

Lawrence Jones, 72, appeared in Monterey County Superior Court Tuesday with his defense attorney, Paul Meltzer.

Jones is accused of killing 29-year-old Norife Herrera. Her remains were found scattered beside a road in Aromas on Sept. 7, 2012 not long after the two finalized their divorce.

A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity means that Jones will now undergo mental evaluations by court-appointed doctors who will evaluate his state of mind at the time the crime occurred.

Jones is due back in court on Nov. 18, when a judge will appoint two or three doctors to evaluate him. Those evaluations could take as long as three months.

That could then lead to a two-phase trial. In the first phase, jurors or a judge will have to reach a verdict on whether Jones is guilty or not guilty. If they reach a guilty verdict, they will then hear evidence regarding his mental state. At that point, they will have to determined if Jones fit the legal definition of insanity at the time of Herrera’s death. If that determination is reached, Jones will likely be sent to a state mental hospital for treatment.