NORTH COAST, Calif. — Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said Tuesday that she has fled murder charges against a Napa man for a homicide earlier this month.

Ramiro Ochoa Mendoza, age 36, is facing charges in connection with the murder of Noel Batres, age 47, also of Napa.

In addition to murder, Mendoza faces allegations that the murder involved the use of a deadly weapon; the murder exhibited violence, cruelty, viciousness or callousness; that the crime shows an increasing level of seriousness from previous crimes; that the defendant had a prior prison term, was on probation or parole, and that he had prior poor performance on probation or parole.

It is alleged that Mendoza killed Batres and left his body under the Third Street Bridge, on the banks of the Napa River at Soscol Avenue, where it was discovered on the afternoon of July 3.

Mendoza had previously been granted mental health diversion by the Napa County Superior Court but failed to comply with the program.

In early 2025, the defendant faced multiple criminal charges in Napa County. He was arrested on April 27 for violating a restraining order, violating his Post-Release Community Supervision, or PRCS, and resisting arrest. 

Two days later, on April 29, the court raised concerns about his mental health competency to stand trial and appointed two doctors to evaluate him.

By May 28, both physicians concluded that Mendoza was not competent. The court dismissed the PRCS violation, in accordance with the law, and despite numerous attempts by defense counsel to dismiss the cases outright, the court followed the Legislature’s direction and ordered mental health diversion for the defendant with supervised release for the two remaining misdemeanors. 

Senate Bill 317, which was designed to decriminalize mental illness in low-level offenses, significantly amended Penal Code sections 1370.01 and 1370.2 – a defendant can no longer be restored to competency when they are only charged with misdemeanors. Instead of criminal prosecution, the law requires the court to conduct a mental health diversion hearing.

Mendoza promptly failed to appear in court for his mental health diversion review and was found to be out of compliance with the diversion program. 

Because the law prohibits prosecution from continuing in cases where a defendant is deemed incompetent on only misdemeanor charges, the court had no choice but to dismiss both remaining cases and did so on July 8.

Three days after his court no-show and the dismissal of his two misdemeanor charges, on July 11, Mendoza was taken into custody by Napa Police officers and charged with the murder of Batres.

“This case highlights the real-world impact of the recent legal reforms, where courts are required to prioritize mental health treatment over traditional prosecution, even when defendants exhibit an unwillingness or inability to comply with court-ordered programs,” said Napa County Deputy District Attorney Katie Susemihl, who is prosecuting the case against Mendoza.

No further information regarding this case will be released at this time, as DDA Susemihl prepares the People’s case against Mendoza. 

The defendant appeared in court Tuesday afternoon for an arraignment hearing, he is held without bail at the Napa County Department of Corrections.