ST. HELENS, Ore. (AP) — A Columbia County Circuit Court judge is expected to rule Jan. 17 whether Daniel Butts is faking mental illness and whether he’s able to stand trial in the shooting death of Rainier Police Chief Ralph Painter.
Closing arguments were held Tuesday at his competency hearing in St. Helens.
The Daily News reports (http://is.gd/pzV3YS ) a state doctor testified the 22-year-old Kalama, Wash., man is faking mental illness to avoid prosecution. A lawyer for the defense says Butts has a serious mental illness and needs medication.
Butts is charged with killing Painter with the officer’s own gun during a struggle on Jan. 5, 2011, at a car stereo shop where the chief had responded to a report of a suspicious person.
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Information from: The Daily News, http://www.tdn.com
