Teen in Ohio slaying is incompetent for trial

5/1/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS — A judge has ruled that one of the two teens charged in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Ohio boy is mentally incompetent to stand trial.

The Franklin County judge has ordered that the 17-year-old suspect be placed in residential treatment center for up to one year to try to get him competent for trial.

Ohio law says juveniles found incompetent in a delinquency murder case can’t stand trial unless they become competent within 12 months.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that the decision was based on an evaluation that determined the teen is currently unable to understand the charges against him or assist his attorney.

The youth and a 15-year-old boy are charged in the Jan. 17 shooting of 15-year-old Kaewaun Coleman during an after-school fight.