SANTA CRUZ >> Criminal proceedings for a Watsonville man charged with the murder of his partner and attempted murder of a police officer will be delayed while he receives mental health treatment, according to a court order.

Per a treatment recommendation by a mental health specialist, Joshua Gonzalez-Martinez, 25, was found mentally incompetent to face charges Oct. 16. Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Siegel ordered Gonzalez-Martinez to be transferred to the Department of State Hospitals until his competency is restored, within no more than a year.

While awaiting his transfer to the state hospital, Gonzalez-Martinez was enrolled Monday in the Santa Cruz Early Access and Stabilization Services program, according to court records. The program is designed to begin competency restoration for patients at the local jail level. A hearing to determine the status of his transfer to state hospital care is scheduled for the morning of Oct. 30.

Gonzalez-Martinez arrived at the Watsonville Police Department on the night of Aug. 3, allegedly calling dispatchers and threatening the life of his 3-year-old stepdaughter. A police officer arriving soon after at the department’s parking lot reportedly attempted to order Gonzalez-Martinez to drop a knife, then shot him as he allegedly charged at the officer. The child was unharmed in the shooting.

The next morning, a hiker encountered Lizbeth Arceo Sedano, 25, of Watsonville, dead with multiple stab wounds on a wooded trail outside of Corralitos. Sedano was Gonzalez-Martinez’s sometimes romantic partner and the mother of the young child.

Misdemeanor charges filed against Gonzalez-Martinez on Sept. 18 for battery against a peace officer and resisting arrest were also stayed.