LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – One of the juveniles charged in the beating death of a Rancho High School student appeared in Juvenile Court on Wednesday after he underwent a comprehensive psychological evaluation.
Judge Amy M. Mastin began the hearing by announcing that the defendant had been ruled competent to proceed. She added that he is suffering from some “understandable PTSD” and situational depression related to a series of traumatic events in his life. She also said his IQ was “higher than it was believed to be.”
The defense had no objection to the ruling and merely cited the need for additional documentation before officially certifying the defendant as competent in a future hearing.
“He seemed to have a clear ability” to participate in his defense, the judge noted. She went on to explain that ”many things” in the evaluation report upset her, including the fact that the defendant claimed not to know the name of the victim.
“I want to be perfectly clear, we are talking about Jonathan Lewis,” she said with a focused stare on the defendant. “And it’s important that you know that.”
The total amount of discovery in this case so far totals 434 GB of data, and an attorney for a different defendant in the case reportedly had technical trouble downloading that much data.
The state sent additional links, including the coroner’s report, to the defense on Feb. 20. Judge Mastin scheduled a status hearing for March 13 at 1:30 p.m.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
