CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) — A state prison inmate has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial for the 2013 beating death of his cellmate at the maximum-security Western Correctional Institution near Cumberland.
Thirty-six-year-old Darnell Thompson had a competency hearing Tuesday in Cumberland. He is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of 29-year-old Jason Wallace.
READ MORE: COVID-19 In Maryland: 932 New Cases Reported, 11 More DeathsWallace was found unconscious in his cell during an inmate recreational period. Prosecutors say a state police detective who interviewed Thompson questioned his competency. The state’s attorney’s office requested a psychological evaluation, which concluded Thompson was incompetent.
He’ll receive treatment and have another review in 12 months.
READ MORE: 'An Incredible Therapy' | Hagerstown Doctor Says Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Provides Fast Recoveries For Some COVID PatientsOnline court records show that Thompson was sentenced to eight years in 2011 in Howard County for assaulting a law-enforcement officer.
State police say Wallace was serving time for robbery.
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