Troy Anthony Campos, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the May 13 stabbing of Francesca Garmon, 50.

In an agreement between Campos' attorney and prosecutors, Superior Court Judge Ronald Christianson, after reviewing reports from three court-appointed psychiatrists, declared Campos not guilty because of insanity.

Each of the doctors had examined Campos after his arrest and had recommended the verdict, officials said.

Campos could be held in a secure state mental hospital, such as Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, for the rest of his life, since second-degree murder carries a penalty of 15 years to life.

A panel of state doctors would have to find that Campos no longer suffers from mental illness or poses a threat to the community before he could be released.

Deputy District Attorney Jon Ferguson said it was clear from evidence in the case that Campos suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and that the disorder prompted the unprovoked attack on Garmon.

"This incident came in the midst of a pleasant activity and conversation with his mother, while they were ordering something off the Internet," Ferguson said. "I don't think there was any evidence of premeditation in this case."

Second-degree murder covers killings committed intentionally, but without the willful and deliberate premeditation required for first-degree murder, Ferguson said.

Garmon, the vice president of a local labor union, was slain by her son as he visited her West 46th Street home for the weekend.

Campos had been living in a Redlands board-and-care facility, where he was being treated for mental illness, authorities said.

After stabbing Garmon three times in the back with a steak knife, Campos ran to another room and called police, telling officers he had stabbed his mother.

Campos, now being held at West Valley Detention Center, is scheduled to return to court Jan. 23 to be formally placed in a state mental hospital, Ferguson said.

Reach Tim Grenda at (909) 890-4460 or tgrenda@pe.com