An stabbing defendant declared mentally incompetent tangled with US Marshals who were attempting to take him to St. Elizabeths Psychiatric Hospital in front of DC Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel on Feb. 18.
Michael Burke, 45, is charged with aggravated assault knowingly while armed for his alleged involvement in a non-fatal stabbing during a street fight on the 1700 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NE, on April 16, 2024.
Burke filed a motion to delay his transfer to St. Elizabeths Hospital and appoint new counsel, arguing that his defense attorney, Thomas Healy, failed to appropriately represent his mental competence.
Judge Israel ordered Burke’s transfer to St. Elizabeth and denied his request for new counsel, ruling that he is unable to make rational decisions in his current mental state. The judge referenced a hearing on Feb. 6 where two doctors testified that in-patient treatment is necessary, citing the defendant’s psychotic symptoms.
Burke resisted US Marshals as they tried to remove him from the courtroom for the hospital transfer. The struggle required multiple court officials to intervene before he was restrained and removed.
Parties are slated to reconvene for an additional mental observation hearing on March 19.
