Jacksonville man found incompetent to proceed with trial in 2022 Colonial Oaks shooting

Gabriela Szymanowska, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
Sheriff's Office vehicles gathered at the Colonial Oaks home of Patrick Ecakrdt's parents April 19, hours after Patrick shot and killed his father on the lawn.
Sheriff's Office vehicles gathered at the Colonial Oaks home of Patrick Ecakrdt's parents April 19, hours after Patrick shot and killed his father on the lawn.

A Jacksonville man who was arrested after shooting his father to death in front of his Colonial Oaks home in April has been found incompetent to stand trial, according to court documents.

Patrick Echardt, 30, was found incompetent on Dec. 12 to move forward with any case proceedings and was committed to the Department of Children and Family Services to be placed in a mental health treatment facility when a bed becomes available, according to court documents.

Echardt was arrested by Sarasota County Sheriff deputies after they found a 64-year-old man dead on the lawn of a home in the 2500 block of Green Oak Court in the early morning hours of April 19. Echardt was charged with one count of second-degree murder, according to previous reporting by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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At the time, witnesses told police they saw Echardt grab a pair of yard clippers and cut internet cables outside his parent's home which led to an intense argument between Echardt and his father. Echardt then reportedly shot "an entire magazine of ammunition" at the victim, according to police reports.

Echardt was pulled over for a traffic stop on Fruitville Road later that night and was taken to the Sheriff's Office for interrogation where he claimed he shot the gun in self-defense, according to previous reporting.

Six weeks prior to the shooting, Echardt had called 911 to report a break-in to his Jacksonville apartment and was adamant someone had broken into his safe and replaced his Glock with a different, identical one.

Police documents obtained by the Herald-Tribune found a "pattern of mental health struggles in the years before the shooting."

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Jacksonville man accused of killing father found incompetent for trial