Ronald Gilbert Murder: Stanwood Elkus, suspect in Calif. urologist's shooting, had an appointment with victim, prosecutor says
(CBS/AP) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Stanwood Elkus, the man accused of fatally shooting a California urologist in an exam room on Monday was a patient who had an appointment with the victim the same day of the shooting attack, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Elkus, 75, appeared in court Wednesday afternoon on a murder charge for allegedly shooting 52-year-old Ronald Gilbert multiple times Monday at his office in Newport Beach in suburban Orange County.
Superior Court Judge Craig Robinson postponed Elkus' arraignment until March 5 after he told the judge he couldn't afford an attorney. Robinson said Elkus would be assigned a public defender in the interim. Elkus was held without bail.
Elkus appeared at the office of the Orange Coast Urology Group on Friday seeking an appointment, though it was not clear with which of the three doctors, said deputy district attorney Matt Murphy, who is prosecuting the case.
Authorities said he then gave the gun to another staff member at the medical office and was arrested quietly.
Investigators found no evidence that Gilbert ever treated Elkus prior to the appointment, Murphy said.
Elkus long suffered from prostate problems and was upset about his incontinence after a recent surgery, his neighbors said. It wasn't clear who performed the surgery. Neighbors added that Elkus' health problems left him running for the bathroom constantly, sometimes in mid-conversation.