The man accused of attempted murder of a Yucca Valley man, as well as eight counts of attempted murder for shooting at Sheriff’s deputies during a pursuit in October—and who posted a live video on Facebook during the pursuit—was in court yesterday, ready to plead guilty to all counts. Managing editor Tami Roleff was once again the only reporter in the courtroom, and says the proceedings didn’t quite go as planned…
Everything about Wednesday’s court hearing for 37-year-old Roger Tindell, who is accused of shooting at Morongo Basin Sheriff’s deputies during a pursuit in October, was different from his last hearing a month ago. In November, Tindell sang “Happy Birthday” to himself, and loudly proclaimed that he may be a murderer, but he wasn’t a liar. Tindell wanted to plead guilty last month to all charges, but Judge Rodney Cortez stopped the hearing and ordered a competency evaluation. Yesterday, Tindell was quiet and subdued, and walked in to the courtroom with his arm in a sling under his orange jumpsuit, an injury from the shootout with deputies in October. His public defender, Mark Shoup, immediately requested a 2-week continuance to December 19, which was granted by the judge. And then the hearing was over.
In Henderson, Nevada, police say Tindell bludgeoned two people to death, in their home October 12. The dead woman’s parents drove from Nevada to be in court on Wednesday, prepared to give a victim’s impact statement during his sentencing hearing.
On October 17, Tindell showed up at the 7400 block of Elk Trail in Yucca Valley and shot Jonathan Lakes in the head, before fleeing with his girlfriend. Deputies caught up to Tindell and during the pursuit on Highway 62 to Morongo Valley, Tindell recorded and posted the video live on Facebook. During the pursuit, Tindell fired on deputies pursuing him. The chase ended when Tindell crashed into a Sheriff’s patrol car and Tindell was injured during an exchange of gunfire.
He was taken to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs for treatment. Sources told Z107.7 News that when Tindell was at the hospital, he stole a butter knife and fork and smuggled them into West Valley Detention Center, where he sharpened the knife and hid it in a cast on his arm. He also removed the center tine of the fork and sharpened the remaining two tines and hid the weapon under his mattress. Both items were found during a search of his cell. He also threatened deputies at the jail.
During his court appearance on October 12, Tindell said he wanted to plead guilty to all 8 counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and felony evading. Defense and prosecuting attorneys huddled together in the morning to hammer out the guilty pleas, which would put Tindell in prison for 300 years to life.
Then that afternoon, Tindell, wearing an orange jumpsuit, shuffled in to the courtroom, arms and wrists shackled to his waist, and feet also hobbled. Deputies wore black latex gloves and onlookers in the courtroom were warned that Tindell was a bio-hazard. Sometime between his morning and afternoon appearance, Tindell had scratched a line on both cheeks from his eye to his jaw. Tindell announced that it was his 37th birthday that day, and started singing “Happy Birthday” to himself.
As Judge Rodney Cortez listed the rights that Tindell was giving up with his guilty plea, including the right to remain silent, Tindell interrupted and loudly insisted, “I may be a murderer, but I’m not a liar” and added he had told the investigating detectives everything when he was in the hospital in Palm Springs following his shooting in Morongo Valley.
As Cortez started reading the first count of attempted murder in the plea agreement against Roger Tindell, along with the enhancements of using a gun and discharging the gun, and the minimum sentences for each count (7 years to life for attempted murder, additional 25 years to life for gun enhancement, another 20 years to life for a second gun enhancement, and an additional 10 years for a third gun enhancement), defense attorney Isaac Rees requested a conference at the bench.
After the conference, Tindell announced that he wanted the process to go as fast as possible and threatened to fire his defense attorney if he didn’t do what he wanted. He said that he didn’t want to return to West Valley Detention Center where, he claimed, the deputies were torturing him. Tindell began crying and begging “to go to the pen,” he couldn’t handle going back to jail, which was “horrible.”
Cortez then ordered that Tindell undergo a competency evaluation, and said that as long as he was assured by the doctor that Tindell is competent, he would continue with the plea agreement and the victim impact statements at a December 5 hearing. Tindell proclaimed over and over again he wasn’t crazy, he was competent, he owned his own business and made more money than people in the courtroom, and he wasn’t stupid. Wednesday’s court hearing was to be a confirmation of the medical report, but at a request by Tindell’s lawyer, Mark Shoup, the hearing was postponed until 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 19.
