Timothy Turnberg, 30, was arraigned Tuesday. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
He was sent to the Lakewood facility in 2010 after being found not guilty by reason of insanity for fatally shooting a man at a bar in Whatcom County.
Turnberg also pleaded guilty in April to fourth-degree assault for an unrelated assault on a fellow Western State patient in November 2011.
In the more recent incident, Pierce County prosecutors said Turnberg approached the other patient as the victim returned from the gym and hit him with the sock-wrapped lock in an unprovoked attack.
The victim suffered a laceration to his head and injuries to his left forearm, left shoulder and back of the neck. He also suffered memory loss.
During an interview with Lakewood police, Turnberg “claimed the victim stared at him ‘wrong’ as if (the defendant) was gay,” according to charging papers. Turnberg also allegedly told police he’d kill anyone who looked at him wrong.
The incident, which occurred April 26, was the second violent incident at Western State that month that has resulted in charges.
In the previous attack, prosecutors filed a second-degree murder charge April 25 against patient Elliott Goodin, 40, for allegedly strangling fellow patient Paul Montefusco, 28, on April 20.
Goodin has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Goodin told authorities Montefusco entered his room, tried to choke him, urinated on him and then masturbated in his presence. Court records indicate a fight broke out ,and Goodin put Montefusco in “choke-type hold” and shoved a ballpoint pen into the younger man’s ear.
An autopsy determined Montefusco died of strangulation.
