A Bonita woman who pulled a gun at several worshippers during her church’s Easter service entered an insanity plea Monday in court.
Anna Linda Conkey, 32, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity when she appeared before San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth involving the bizarre incident at the Church TsidKenu at 4240 Mount Everest Blvd. in Clairemont.
Her attorney, Stephen Cline, told the judge he had “mountains of U-Tube videos” to go through before he could set any trial date. Conkey made a number of online videos about her religious beliefs and she discussed differences she had with some members of the Church TsidKenu.
Deputy District Attorney Matthew Greco asked Smyth to tell Conkey of the lifetime consequences she could face if a judge or jury determines she was insane. Smyth asked Conkey if she was aware she could be “held indefinitely” in a mental hospital for life if she was found to be insane at the time of the incident.
Conkey said she was aware of that. Smyth told the attorneys to return to court Nov. 4 to set a trial date.
Greco said psychiatrists and psychologists will meet with Conkey in jail to evaluate her. He said such evaluations will take months before they can issue reports.
The sanity issue is different from the mental competency, as she was already found to be mentally competent for trial. The sanity issue only concerns her mental state at the time of the incident.
Conkey was ordered to stand trial Oct. 4 on all charges except for one count of making a criminal threat at an all-day preliminary hearing conducted by Judge Laura Parsky.
Greco said the pastor, Benjamin Wisan, calmly asked church goers to exit the sanctuary after Conkey pulled a gun and talking about people becoming martyrs. She held a 9 mm Sig P290 and and then pointed the pistrol to her 1-year-old baby son she also held while several feet away from the pastor.
Several church members rushed her and grabbed the gun while another person got her baby. It turned out the pistol was unloaded, but no one knew that at the time.
Conkey called 911 before entering the service, saying there was a woman entering the church with a gun. She also said someone had planted bombs in the church. Police searched the premises which also included the Mount Everest Academy, but no explosives were found.
After police entered the building, church members released Conkey and the pistol, but Greco said the woman tried to grab the gun again and had to be restrained.
She is charged with two counts of making criminal threats, attempted criminal threat, possessing a firearm in a school zone, child endangerment, making a false bomb report, disturbing a religious meeting, and resisting arrest.
Conkey has pleaded not guilty and remains in the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility on $1 million. Her husband is taking care of the couple’s two children.
