A DC Superior Court judge scheduled a hearing to give defense attorneys time to ask their client if she is willing to voluntarily take medication that could potentially restore her competence to stand trial.
Alisa Randall, 33, is charged with second-degree murder while armed in the death of 59 year-old Ronald Payne. On July 15, 2019, Payne was found in an apartment on the 1300 block Euclid Street, NW suffering from apparent stab wounds.
During the March 4 proceedings, Judge Neal Kravitz read a doctor’s report, which stated that Randall is not currently competent. The report also stated that a stronger medication than the one Randall is already on may restore her competency.
Defense attorneys Dana Page & Ashley Prather-Guzman said that this medication is viewed as a last resort because of its high risk for negative side effects.
Guzman also said that Randall’s treatment team said she has reached a plateau in competency improvement and that the new medication would not make much of a difference.
The prosecution said they want Randall to have the opportunity to voluntarily accept or refuse the medication before the court schedules a lengthy hearing that determines if the medication can actually restore competency.
Judge Kravitz agreed and requested that the defense notify the prosecution if Randall is willing to take the medication. If she’s not, the prosecution should have determined if they are going to file a motion to compel Randall to take the medication before the next hearing.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 18.
