The man accused of killing one woman and injuring three others in a string of stabbings on the Louisiana Tech University campus has been turned over to a forensic hospital in Jackson, where psychologists say he is mentally fit to stand trial. He will be kept at the hospital until his condition is determined.
This is the result of a state appellate court decision overturning an earlier ruling by Special Judge Chet Traylor. Traylor said Tuesday that the decision resulted in Third Judicial District Attorney John Belton choosing not to appeal, over other prosecutors on his staff.
“Some of the deputy district attorneys supported an appeal of the (2nd Circuit Court of Appeals) decision, but it was denied by the district attorney himself,” a disgruntled Judge Traylor said during a Tuesday afternoon hearing. He spoke from the official seat.
Jacoby Johnson, a 24-year-old former polytechnic student, killed local artist Annie Richardson with a knife and killed three others outside the polytechnic’s Lambright Sports and Wellness Center on November 11. He is charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for allegedly injuring the man. 13th, 2023.
Traylor ruled in January that Johnson was mentally competent to proceed to trial, but earlier this month the 2nd Circuit reversed that decision and ordered Traylor to return to Jackson for psychological testing and treatment. An East Louisiana mental health system was forced to admit Mr. Johnson.
Asked for comment, Mr. Belton said Mr. Traylor’s assertion that he and his staff were divided over whether to appeal the Second Circuit’s decision was inaccurate. Belton did not attend Tuesday’s hearing.
Traylor said he found the Second Circuit’s decision “very confusing,” and said the appellate judges misrepresented why they found Johnson fit to stand trial.
“I know I’m not that sharp of a knife, but I’m sure I’m not stupid,” Traylor said.
Psychiatrist Charles Vosburg and psychologist Dennis Clay Kelly, both of Johnson’s court-appointed Sanity Commission, said Johnson was experiencing “audio hallucinations,” including voices telling him to harm himself or others. He reported that he said he was experiencing this.
In their report to Traylor, the pair wrote that Johnson’s interview revealed that it was not possible to determine whether these hallucinations were ongoing symptoms, temporary drug-induced symptoms, or simply fake. It is written that there was no. They recommended that Johnson be admitted to Elm High School for further testing until it is determined whether he is fit to stand trial. Both of them belong to the forensic hospital there.
At a hearing in January, Traylor argued that Vosburg and Kelly’s report was somehow inconclusive about Johnson’s competency, but Lincoln Parish Detention Center nurse Jennifer Plunkett testified that when he examined Johnson in his cell, he found no hallucinations or other signs of behavioral problems. Confinement.
Traylor said Tuesday he disputed the Second Circuit’s argument that Traylor gave more weight to Plunkett’s testimony than to the doctor’s.
“(Mr. Kelly and Messrs. Vosburgh) did not find any deficiencies in the defendant’s ability to assist counsel,” Traylor said, citing excerpts from the sanity report.
Johnson, who stands 5 feet 5 inches tall, meekly shuffled into the courtroom before Tuesday’s proceedings began. His prison coveralls were still accented by his taped-up glasses, which he reportedly broke in a fit of rage in his cell the same month after the attack, the day he was supposed to graduate from Tech University.
Traylor appeared disappointed that Belton’s office chose not to appeal the Second Circuit’s ruling, but he did not elaborate on the matter.
Assistant District Attorney Lewis Jones was the only representative from Belton’s office present at Tuesday’s hearing. He declined to comment.
At Jones’ request, Traylor set a sanity review for Johnson for July 16 to “confirm our position” and said he doubted anything had changed by then. .
ELMHS’ Forensic Medicine Department is typically where criminal defendants from around the state are sent if they are deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. Johnson cannot be released publicly unless he is sent back to the Ruston courtroom for trial.
It’s not clear when or if that will happen.
Traylor once again expressed his dissatisfaction after the court overruled him.
“I’m still 100% sure I was right,” he said.
