DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan further delayed a defendant’s trial during a hearing on Oct. 24, due to her ongoing mental competency issues.
Alisa Randall, 37, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for her alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of 59-year-old Ronald Payne on the 1300 block of Euclid Street, NE, on July 15, 2019.
According to court documents, Payne died from a stab wound to his upper chest, which fractured a rib and hit his aorta.
Randall has been deemed “incompetent to stand trial”, meaning she cannot participate in a trial due her lock of understanding of the charges or how to help her lawyer. Randall was first deemed incompetent by the court in August of 2019.
During the hearing, Judge Ryan sympathized with the defense and prosecution’s perspectives–while he wanted to prioritize public safety issues, there was no way to move forward beyond reevaluation of competency to stand trial.
Judge Ryan emphasized that while it is rare for cases to “trail off”, he wanted to prioritize competency, saying “we need to be adults and lawyers about this.”
Defense attorney Dana Page informed the court that Randall is currently experiencing cognitive deficits and negative symptoms. The defendant is also not in DC and did not call into the hearing as instructed.
The prosecution suggested that the court use the first doctor to diagnose Randall that conducted an evaluation virtually to move forward with the case. Page agreed that this doctor was best suited to evaluate Randall because of his prior knowledge.
Judge Ryan asked that counsel decide how to proceed for the next hearing. He agreed that a virtual visit with her prior psychologist would be “sensible.”
Parties are slated to reconvene Nov. 17.
