Sheila Prevo (top) and
Eva Hudson
William Merriweather, charged in Bessemer bank robbery slayings, to face competency hearing
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A federal judge next month will hear evidence on whether a man, facing the death penalty on federal charges that he killed two tellers during a robbery at a Bessemer bank in 2007, is competent to stand trial.
William Merriweather Jr. is charged in the May 14, 2007, robbery of the Wachovia Bank on Ninth Avenue in Bessemer. Tellers Eva Hudson and Sheila Prevo were killed during the incident.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has said it will seek the death penalty in the case.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John E. Ott last week ordered an evidentiary hearing be held before U.S. District Court Judge David Proctor on July 25 in Birmingham.
Ott also gave prosecutors and attorneys until July 1 to exchange a written summary of expert reports, including each expert's opinion, the basis and reasons for the opinions and each expert witness' qualifications.
The hearing is being set to consider a motion filed by Merriweather's attorneys, Emory Anthony and Richard Jaffe, in 2009 asking that Merriweather be declared incompetent to stand trial. The motion asks that Merriweather be remanded to the custody of the Attorney General for placement at a federal mental health facility until competency is restored.
Ott in 2007 had ordered Merriweather be hospitalized in a suitable facility for a period to determine whether he is competent to stand trial and to determine the extent, if any, to which mental illness may have affected his behavior at the time of the offense.
Ott's order quoted a preliminary assessment report submitted by Kimberly Ackerson, a forensic psychologist. The order said Merriweather reported experiencing paranoia and hallucinations, including hearing voices.
Much of Merriweather's medical information, examinations, and motions in the case have been placed under seal and are not available for public viewing.
Jaffe said Monday that he could not comment on the case due to the sealed records and motions in the case.
Merriweather also is charged in Jefferson County Circuit Court with capital murder and other charges. But the charges are on hold pending the outcome of the federal charges against Merriweather.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/06/...charged_i.html
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