PASCO, Wash. (AP) — A Franklin County Superior Court judge says a murder defendant who is unkempt and unresponsive is competent to stand trial.
The Tri-City Herald reports Judge Vic VanderSchoor set trial for Ramon Garcia-Morales for June 1, after hearing Eastern State Hospital psychologist Nathan Henry say Garcia-Morales has been faking mental issues in an attempt to avoid conviction.
The 31-year-old and his 27-year-old his brother, Jose Garcia-Morales, are charged with murder and attempted murder in the shooting of a Pasco couple in December 2008. Prosecutors say the brothers believed the man had deprived them of a job in the fields.
Their trials have been delayed by repeated mental evaluations. On Monday, Jose Garcia-Morales was ordered back to Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake because he is unresponsive and not helping his lawyer.
