‘Just thrilled’: Judge rules against suspect in 1992 Orange cold case murder

An Orange County judge kept alive the possibility of trying the man said to be responsible for the 1992 killing of John Stagner, denying a motion Monday to dismiss a murder charge as the suspect seeks mental health treatment.

Ronald Cates, 66, sat in court Monday as attorneys argued over whether he has — or could someday have — the mental capacity to stand trial for killing Stagner, a county maintenance worker. Cates’ murder charge came just two years ago, the handiwork of cold case investigators.

Ralph Fretz, forensic psychologist at Treasure Coast Forensic Center, said in court Monday that Cates is incompetent to proceed in the murder case — for now, at least. Cates was first ruled incompetent Aug. 24, and was admitted into Treasure Coast Forensic Center, where he had been since Nov. 1.

“He clearly has a history and has symptoms of unspecified schizophrenia spectrum,” said Fretz, noting Cates suffers from auditory hallucinations.

Cates also tested in the “extremely low range” when examined for cognitive ability. While Cates understands the charge against him, Fretz said he was unaware of the penalty should he be convicted and believed his public defender would mete out the punishment.

“It’s not like we can give him work, classes or something of that nature to give him the capacity” to stand trial at this time, Fretz said. He recommended Cates remain institutionalized for further evaluation.

Circuit Judge Diego Madrigal agreed but denied the motion to dismiss the case, rejecting Cates’ lawyers’ argument that his incompetence is “permanent.” Madrigal did not say where Cates will be housed while he receives additional treatment and review.

Cates’ next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 5.

“Without that care, he’s likely to suffer from neglect or refusing to care for himself,” Madrigal ruled. “There’s also substantial likelihood that without care or treatment, he will cause serious bodily harm to himself or others in the near future.”

Madrigal’s ruling brought a sigh of relief for Johnetta Grant and Barbara Marshall, Stagner’s daughter and niece, respectively. Traveling from out-of-state to attend the hearing Monday, the two cousins expected the worst — that they would be denied the opportunity to see Cates judged for his alleged crime.

It was been 32 years since Stagner was killed, and two years since the Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced Cates’ arrest as a result of the work of his agency’s cold case unit. In August 1992, Stagner was found bludgeoned to death by an axe handle Cates used as a walking stick.

Three years later, Cates tried to kill himself, but not before admitting he killed Stagner, who had given him and his family a place to stay because they had fallen on hard times. Marshall recalls being at Stagner’s home after she was given the news that her beloved uncle had been killed.

“It’s a day I’ll never forget, and it’s a day I don’t really want to remember,” Marshall said. “It was a very bloody situation.”

Grant described Stagner as a generous and kind man, and a “favorite uncle” who acted as a father figure to many of his loved ones. Marshall was one of them, she said, recalling that he walked her down the aisle on her wedding day.

Marshall, unlike Grant, had met Cates previously and was shocked to find out he was the prime suspect. But investigators did not have evidence placing Cates in Stagner’s room that night, and it wasn’t until Cates confessed again in 2022 while at a hospital in North Carolina that the case was given another look. Investigators then were able to connect Cates to the murder using forensic technology that didn’t exist in 1992.

In court, Grant, who arrived in Orlando from Kentucky Monday morning, said she struggled not to look at Cates as he sat in the jury box, wearing a blue jumpsuit and sporting long white hair and a beard.

“When they brought him, I teared up and I didn’t expect that, but — there he is, there’s the man,” Grant said.

Though they faced the horror of Stagner’s killer, being inside the courtroom had a silver lining for Grant and Marshall: a reunion three decades in the making. They had remained in touch through letters but it was not until Monday that they met for the first time since they were children.

As the case continues, they remain patient. Grant said Madrigal’s decision was a weight lifted as they await justice, which to her and Marshall means Cates remains institutionalized or is put behind bars.

While they do not wish Cates ill, they believe he must be held accountable for Stagner’s grisly murder.

“I can say I’ve forgiven him, but I can’t forget what he’s done,” Marshall said. Grant added, “Thirty-two years we’ve waited, and we’re going to keep waiting until we get our final closure.”