A judge has ruled that an evaluator should assess the mental health of Israel Melvin, a 22-year-old Sheridan man accused of brutally killing his mother and later filling a fast-food restaurant bathroom with marijuana smoke.
Melvin faces second-degree murder charges in connection with the bludgeoning death of his mother, Leonila Melvin, on January 7 in their Sheridan home. She was discovered beneath blankets soaked in gasoline.
Circuit Court Judge Jefferson Boone Coombs temporarily halted Melvin’s prosecution on Friday, allowing a mental-health examiner to determine whether Melvin is mentally competent to address the charges against him.
In an order issued on Monday after Melvin's initial hearing, Judge Coombs cited Wyoming law, stating, “There is a question as to the Defendant’s ‘capacity to comprehend his position, to understand the nature and object of the proceedings against him, to conduct his defense in a rational manner, and to cooperate with his counsel.’”
Under Wyoming law, a person cannot enter a plea in court until they are deemed mentally competent to do so.
As of Monday, Melvin remained in the Sheridan County Detention Center, but Judge Coombs directed the Evanston-based Wyoming State Hospital to conduct an inpatient evaluation of Melvin.
Within the next 60 days, the mental-health examiner must provide the court with detailed findings, an opinion on Melvin's mental competence or deficiency, the anticipated duration of any mental incapacity, an assessment of Melvin’s fitness to undergo prosecution, and recommendations regarding Melvin's detention during the case.
If Melvin is deemed mentally competent or can be restored to competence for a plea and trial, he may request an additional mental-health evaluation to determine his mental state during his mother's death.
Under Wyoming law, individuals may be found not guilty by reason of mental illness if they were unable to comprehend the wrongfulness of their actions during a crime or conform their behavior to the law.