Lafayette man found incompetent to stand trial in 2019 death of father
A Lafayette man accused of killing his father in 2019 was found to be incompetent to stand trial and ordered to a mental health facility in hopes his competency will be restored.
Willie Thomas Jr. is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his father, Willie James Earl Thomas Sr. The 59-year-old died after trauma to his head, Lafayette Police said at the time.
Thomas Jr. has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Michelle Billeaud ruled in April that Thomas lacked the mental capacity to understand the proceedings against him and was unable to assist in his own defense.
She ordered Thomas be transferred to the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System in East Feliciana Parish where his competency can hopefully be restored, according to court documents. Billeaud ordered the staff to alert the court when he is able to comprehend the proceedings against him and to assist in his own defense.
The decision is similar to an incompetency ruling from 15th Judicial District Judge Valerie Gotch Garrett who ruled Ian Howard, who is accused of fatally shooting a police officer, shooting at another and shooting and injuring two other people.
Unlike Billeaud, Garrett ordered Howard be transferred for 90 days. But Howard is on a waiting list to get into the East Feliciana facility, which his lawyers said in a hearing last month is hindering his ability to get treatment. Howard is scheduled for a status update later this month.
Background: Judge declares Ian Howard, accused of killing Lafayette cop, not competent to stand trial
What did Thomas' evaluations show?
Thomas was evaluated by two mental health professionals, a psychologist and a psychiatrist.
Thomas told both doctors he was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but grew up in the Lafayette area. He also told them he was physically abused as a child and picked on at school, according to court documents. He told one of the doctors home was a "difficult place."
At the time of his arrest, Thomas was living with his father. He told Dr. Warren Lowe that he was hit in the face by his father before the man's death.
Thomas told the doctors he takes antipsychotic medication but could not recall what he was being treated for or what his mental health diagnosis was, according to court documents.
During his evaluation with Dr. Sarah DeLand, he said he sometimes heard voices and during the interview would engage in "inappropriate giggling" that suggested he was "responding to internal stimuli," she wrote. Thomas told her the voices tell him to harm himself, say derogatory things about him and tell him things about his court case.
Both doctors wrote that Thomas had a hard time explaining the role of various court personnel.
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He initially told DeLand he did not know the role of the district attorney or prosecutor but later said the district attorney's job was to "help" him. He was not able to describe the role of the jury or witnesses to DeLand.
"He could not grasp the concept of a trial but he did know that if somebody were found not guilty, they would be free to go," DeLand wrote. "Similarly, he knew that if someone were found guilty, they would go to prison."
He told Lowe that he couldn't remember his attorney's name but they had meetings.
After that point in the evaluation, Thomas answered most of the questions with "don't know" or "I forgot." Thomas also was unable to answer simple questions that "even people with psychiatric illnesses are usually able to answer correctly," Lowe wrote in his report.
During a follow-up evaluation, Thomas responded to simple questions with "don't know" or "forgot," but when asked about sports, he was able to name his favorite players.
Because of his unwillingness to fully participate in the evaluation, Lowe said he was unable to determine Thomas' capacity and recommended Thomas be transferred to the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health Systems.
Lowe also said malingering, which is an exaggeration of an illness, should be ruled out.
DeLand also said Thomas should be transferred to the East Feliciana facility for evaluation, treatment and competency restoration.
"Mr. Thomas has significant intellectual limitations and these are impairing both his ability to understand the process and his ability to formulate enough abstract thought to really be of true assistance to his attorney," she wrote.
"Due to his psychotic symptoms, Mr. Thomas has significant difficulty with thought organization, distraction and very poor concentration and attention."
Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette man found incompetent to stand trial in 2019 death of father
