Is Doc’s Report on Murder Defendant’s Mental State Correct?

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 30, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

Defense attorneys said their client was not capable of responding to a plea bargain despite being deemed competent by a doctor in June.

Deangelo Thorne pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 23-year-old Waliyatou Amadou on Jan. 8, 2017. Coordinates from a GPS monitor placed Thorne, 28, at the scene of the murder on the 1400 block of W Street, NW in 2017. Thorne was wearing the device as part of an unrelated conviction for drug charges.

In April, psychiatrists who examined Thorne asked that he be sent to a hospital in order to receive treatment and an additional evaluations. Several weeks later, according to a report from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, Thorne had improved and became competent with the help of treatment.

Still, defense attorneys said they were not confident that Thorne was mentally equipped to proceed. DC Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff said the doctor who evaluated Thorne knew him well, which gave her additional confidence in the report.

After a bench conference, Judge Bartnoff ordered that Thorne should return to the mental health unit at DC Jail. Judge Bartnoff also ordered that another mental observation hearing be conducted on Sept.13.

“I’m going to give the defense a chance to study this further,” Judge Bartnoff said. “We’ll see if we have a dispute.”