Status Hearing Continued Pending Mental Competency Evaluation

By Rohan Naval , Ashley Drazka - February 20, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting |

On Feb. 16, a status hearing was continued by  DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun in a matter related to a defendant’s mental competency. 

Larry Odoms, 62, is charged with second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the fatal beating of 81-year-old Dennis Stroy. The incident occurred on Feb. 21, 2022, at the Deanwood Rehabilitation & Wellness Center on the 5000 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE.

Stroy succumbed to his injuries on March 20, 2022.

Complications in the case have repeatedly surfaced related to Odoms’ competency. 

On Sept. 9, 2022, Judge Okun ordered a full competency examination, in which the defendant was found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial. However, the court ruled the defendant could become competent in the future.

Odoms has previously been found “not competent by consent” in a matter from 2019. 

After commitment to St. Elizabeths Hospital and the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Odoms was admitted to George Washington University Hospital for a medical emergency under the custody of the Department of Corrections (DOC).

The case was continued on the grounds that his hospital treatment is ongoing. Odoms will ultimately be released back to DBH.

Parties are set to reconvene on April 12.