DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz granted a stabbing defendant attorneys request for a competency screening during a hearing on June 17.
Tiffany Taylor-Gray, 22, is one of three individuals charged with first-degree murder while for her alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of Fasil Teklemariam, 53. The incident occurred on the 1300 block of Peabody Street, NW on April 4, 2024.
According to court documents, Metropolitan Police Officers (MPD) responding to reports of an unconscious person, discovered Teklemariam, who was pronounced dead at the scene due to multiple blunt force and sharp force injuries.
Officers were also able to identify Taylor-Gray, Audrey Miller, 20, and Tommy Whack, 36, from CCTV footage from the Peabody St residence as well as through witness testimonies from other residents, allegedly connecting them to the homicide.
Eduardo Balarezo, Taylor-Gray’s attorney, requested the screening due to the defendant’s “apparent low intellectual functioning” and “problems understanding or following procedures or cooperating with attorney.” Judge Kravitz granted the screening request to be completed at the DC jail.
Parties are slated to reconvene for a mental observation hearing on June 24.
