ALLEGAN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – A 27-year-old St. Joseph man won’t stand trial right now on charges of murdering his stepfather.
Allegan District Judge Joe Skocelas ruled Wednesday that Tyler Daniel Smith was mentally incompetent and ordered him to be held at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti for continued treatment.
Smith has been in the Kent County Jail since his arrest following the death of 58-year-old Robert Hill at a home north of South Haven on May 24th, and has been on a suicide watch at that facility after an attempt to take his own life last month.
After hearing testimony from a doctor at the Center and observing Smith via video hookup, Judge Skocelas determined that the defendant was unable to understand the open murder and felony firearms charges against him.
Another evaluation of Smith’s competency will be made every two months, with a final determination coming a year from now.
