DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman ordered a homicide defendant undergo his fifth full mental competency evaluation on April 24.
Alberto Valle Carranza, 56, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder for his alleged involvement in the fatal domestic stabbing of 31-year-old Reyna Garcia Lopez on the 1200 block of 11th Street, NW on Dec. 19, 2023.
Defense attorney Julie Swaney requested Judge Edelman rule on a “Jackson” finding under Jackson v. Indiana, which outlines provisions for mentally and physically impaired defendants found incompetent by the court. Carranza has been found incompetent once before by the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) on March 28, 2025. Swaney requested the court order speech language therapy to restore his competency.
The prosecution disagreed, noting a Spanish language psychiatrist had cast doubt that speech therapy could be helpful. They argued DBH should continue their care and Judge Edelman should order another mental competency exam for Carranza.
Judge Edelman considered the requests and acknowledged speech language therapy could be helpful in eliminating all possible issues. However, he denied making a Jackson finding at this time and ordered another full mental competency exam.
In order to stand trial a defendant must be mentally competent enough to understand the charges and help his attorney. It’s not unusual for defendants to drift in and out of mental competence based on a number of factors including drug use, mental illness or lack of education. However, competence must be restored to initiate a trial.
Parties are slated to reconvene June 26.
