PASCO, Wash. (AP) — A Franklin County Superior Court judge says the defendant in a Pasco murder case is incompetent to stand trial at this time because he is unresponsive and not helping his lawyer.
The Tri-City Herald reports the judge ordered Jose Garcia-Morales back to Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake on Monday for another evaluation.
The 27-year-old is charged with murder and attempted murder in the shooting of a Pasco couple in December 2008. Prosecutors say Garcia-Morales and his brother shot Alfredo Garcia and his wife because the brothers believed Garcia had deprived them of a job in the fields.
The trial for the 31-year-old brother, Ramon Garcia-Morales, also has been delayed for mental evaluations.
