Jury Deliberations to Get Underway in Neighbor Attack Case

Jury deliberations got under way today in the trial of a Palm Desert man accused of trying to kill his neighbor.

Barry Keith Hancock is charged with attempted murder, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon causing injury to a person over 70 and making criminal threats for allegedly attacking Paul Tritschler with a metal pipe on Dec. 3, 2008.

Hancock, 70, attacked Tritschler in the 39400 block of Narcissus Way because he felt the man was "bombarding his residence with noise machines and microwaves,'' the prosecution alleged in court documents.

Tritschler, 76, testified last week that his neighbor entered his garage and threatened to kill him when he returned from playing golf at the course in their housing community.

"The voice said, 'You son of a (expletive), I'm going to kill you,''' Tritschler said. He said he was plugging in his golf cart to recharge it in the garage near his condo when he heard Hancock threaten him. "I leaned back against the dashboard and said, 'Barry, Barry, you don't have to do this,''' Tritschler said.

Hancock allegedly approached his neighbor with a loaded revolver in one hand and a Taser in the other.

Tritschler said he grabbed an unknown object from Hancock's hand and began to struggle with him when he felt something metal hit his head.

The men struggled, and Tritschler said he was able to pin Hancock to the ground until neighbors called security and sheriff's deputies arrived. Deputy District Attorney Brad Braaten said in his opening statement that the gash in Tritschler's head needed eight stitches to close.

He said authorities found a knife, paper towels, plastic sheeting and a shovel in Hancock's vehicle, duct tape, rope and a Taser box in his garage and a handgun in his house. Hancock's attorney, Ryan Markson, told jurors that Hancock ``intended to kill no one. He only wanted answers from his neighbor.''

Markson said his client had an ongoing belief that Tritschler "was radiating his body with some kind of electromagnetic energy through a wall, with some kind of machine.'' Markson said the gun Hancock took to Tritschler's garage was taped so it couldn't fire.

"The evidence shows he did not go near enough to constitute the crime of attempted murder,'' the defense attorney said.

A judge last year ordered county mental health staff to ensure Hancock was taking psychiatric medication while jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.