Dawson McGeehee, 27, was found guilty Thursday in Stockton Superior Court of killing his 55-year-old mother on Halloween night last year inside their Manteca home on On Golden Pond Drive in northwest Manteca just east of North Union Road and north of Lathrop Road.

The jury found the University of the Pacific alumnus, who had been living at home, guilty in the second degree after the district attorney had sought a first degree verdict.  The premeditation element was reportedly not proven to the panel’s satisfaction.

The suspect had pled not guilty by reason of insanity.  The court now requires a sanity hearing to be heard by the same jury that is scheduled for December 11 and is expected to take two to three days to reach a conclusion.

He had been living in the home with his mother, Kathleen Karen McGeehee, and his dad who was on a business trip to China when the murder occurred.  The woman’s body was discovered by a third party who was concerned when she was not able to reach the victim by phone or at the door.

The son had fled in his vehicle and was located by a Manteca Police officer as he was aimlessly driving on Lathrop Road about 1:30 a.m. the next morning, November 1.

At his first appearance in Stockton Superior Court, McGeehee sat shackled in a red jump suit nervously fidgeting with his hand and fingers and moving his head backwards while rolling his eyes.  While his delusional appearance was in question, he was able to answer the judge affirmatively when she asked if he understood the seriousness of the charge against him while family members sat together in the courtroom.