Naples man found competent to face murder trial
A Naples man accused of killing a teen five years ago was deemed competent to stand trial after multiple incompetent rulings.
Santiago Burbano, 25, is accused of killing Rubi Velasco, who was 18, in an East Naples home on Sept. 13, 2018.
Judge John McGowan set a jury trial date for Feb. 12. The court found Burbano competent to proceed Friday.
Burbano's competency history
This competent ruling comes after he was found incompetent in March 2019 because of mental illness, according to court records. Burbano was committed to the Florida Department of Children and Families for treatment after two evaluations found him incompetent to stand trial.
A psychiatric evaluation filed in October 2019 stated "Burbano is competent to proceed contingent on his remaining on psychotropic medications." However, he was found incompetent again in February 2020.
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About a year later, Judge Joseph Foster found Burbano competent to proceed with the trial, but he was reevaluated and deemed incompetent yet again in December 2021. In May 2022, Burbano was found competent to proceed with the trial again.
He has remained in state custody since his arrest.
Last July, the case was reassigned to Judge McGowan, who set the trial date for February.
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His arrest five years ago
Burbano's mother called Collier County Sheriff's Office to report her son had killed a woman, according to an arrest report.
Deputies responded that evening to Tuscan Isle Apartments where they found Velasco in a bedroom with a laceration on her neck, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Burbano's mother told investigators he and Velasco had returned home in the afternoon and went into his bedroom together, the report states.
Later, Burbano's mother got a call from a relative indicating something might be wrong, according to the report. She went to check on her son but found his bedroom door locked.
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While she was outside his bedroom door, Burbano said, "Mommy, mommy, I killed Rubi," the report states.
Burbano's mother convinced him to open the door. She found him sitting at his desk with a rifle pointed at his head and he told his mother he preferred to die than go to jail, according to the report. After his mother persuaded him to put the rifle down, deputies arrested Burbano.
He pleaded not guilty in October 2018 before his multiple competency hearings.
Burbano will face trial Feb. 12, 2024. His next court date is Oct. 3.
Emma Behrmann is a breaking news reporter for The Naples Daily News and News-Press. You may reach her at emma.behrmann@naplesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples man accused of five-year-old murder found competent
