Bike Week murders: Accused killer Jean Macean back in court for competency hearing

The man accused of the Bike Week 2022 double murder stabbings is competent to stand trial and had feigned or exaggerated symptoms of mental illness, a psychologist testified Thursday.

But defense witnesses countered that, saying Jean Macean did not feign symptoms and was mentally incompetent to proceed in his legal defense.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn has not yet ruled as the competency hearing is scheduled to run through Friday. She is likely not to rule at the end of the hearing, but rather at a later date.

Macean, 33, of Orlando, has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon while acting with premeditation in the killings of Terry Aultman, 48, and Brenda Aultman, 55, according to the indictment.

The Aultmans were stabbed repeatedly while riding their bicycles home in the early morning of March 6, 2022, after attending Bike Week festivities on Main Street in Daytona Beach, police said. Their bodies were found at the corner of Riverview Boulevard and North Wild Olive Avenue.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Graham Danzer, a psychologist who is an “evaluator” at Florida State Hospital, was the first witness to testify, taking nearly three hours.

He testified that Macean had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Macean was sent to Florida State Hospital after Blackburn ruled he was incompetent earlier this year. Macean was released from the hospital a little over a month later, when hospital staff indicated he was competent, and returned to the jail.

Under questioning by Assistant State Attorney Andrew Urbanak, Danzer testified that he did not find any history of mental health treatment for Macean prior to his arrest in the killings.

Danzer testified that a recorded jail conversation involving Macean indicated he was competent to proceed.

Macean looked up at the ceiling in a pronounced way when he initially arrived at the state hospital facility but that gradually stopped, Danzer said.

Macean appeared to be looking at the ceiling at times during Thursday's hearing.

Danzer said that two of three tests indicated that Macean was feigning or exaggerating psychological symptoms.

He testified that Macean understood the charges against him and the possible penalties. He said he believed Macean could testify relevantly.

Danzer said Macean could behave appropriately in court, and pointed out that he was behaving appropriately Thursday.

He also said that Macean could disclose pertinent facts to his defense attorneys because he disclosed such facts to him.

One of Macean’s defense attorneys, Assistant Public Defender Jessica Roberts, cross-examined Danzer.

Roberts said Macean was only at the state hospital for 37 days before he was released. But she said that Macean had been in jail for more than a year previously and was being treated there by mental health professionals.

Macean had been diagnosed with unspecified schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Macean had been prescribed Haldol, an anti-psychotic, at the jail. Macean was also prescribed Zyprexa, an anti-psychotic overwhelmingly used for schizophrenia, at the state facility. The Zyprexa dose was doubled to 20 mg at some point.

He was also prescribed Depakote, a mood stabilizer.

The psychologist said that Macean said he was experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations.

There was also a mention that Macean had a daughter and he had remained an involved parent before his arrest.

Melvin Pagan-Gonzalez, a forensic psychologist, testified for the defense that Macean was not mentally competent to proceed in his legal defense.

He said restoring Macean to competency would likely require committing him to a state mental health facility for one year.

Pagan-Gonzalez diagnosed Macean with unspecified schizophrenia disorder and neurocognitive disorder.

Macean has presented treatment-resistant symptoms even when medicated, he said.

He said that Macean was experiencing command hallucinations to hurt others.

He added that Macean had only a superficial understanding of the legal system.

While Macean can sit quietly in a chair during the court hearing on Thursday, Pagan-Gonzalez said he was concerned whether Macean actually understood what was going on and whether he could help in his defense.

Macean also had only a “marginal” understanding of the right to remain silent, Pagan-Gonzalez said.

Kristi Fuson, a psychiatric nurse who formerly worked at the Volusia County Branch Jail, said she managed Macean’s medication while he was at the jail. She said she did not see any signs that Macean had been malingering, feigning or exaggerating symptoms.

The competency hearing continued Friday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Accused killer in Bike Week murders in court for competency hearing