A competence exam has been mandated for the guy who is suspected of robbing a 4-year-old Dallas boy to death after he was abducted from his crib.
-
-
Doctors at a state mental health facility say Darriynn Brown is now capable of understanding the capital murder charge that he’s facing.
-
Brown is accused of kidnapping 4-year-old Cash Gernon from his bedroom in Dallas and stabbing him to death.
-
Prosecutors have video and DNA evidence that links Brown to the crime.
-
Brown’s defense team suggested he may be entitled to an insanity defense.
-
-
Doctors at a state mental health facility say Darriynn Brown is now capable of understanding the capital murder charge that he’s facing.
-
Brown is accused of kidnapping 4-year-old Cash Gernon from his bedroom in Dallas and stabbing him to death.
-
Prosecutors have video and DNA evidence that links Brown to the crime.
-
Brown’s defense team suggested he may be entitled to an insanity defense.
DallasA judge ruled that the guy who is suspected of robbing a 4-year-old Dallas child of his life and killing him is now competent to stand trial.
Darriynn Brown found competent to stand trial
What’s fresh:
As per court documents, Darriynn Brown, 22, received treatment through a “outpatient competency restoration program” and is now competent to comprehend the charges against him and take part in his own defense.
A judge approved the order last week after doctors informed the court of his competency.
Brown might now face a capital murder trial.
Dallas 4-year-old Cash Gernon murdered
The backstory
In 2021, a Dallas County grand jury indicted Brown for kidnapping, burglary, and capital murder of 4-year-old Cash Gernon.
Investigators claimed that Brown was the person spotted removing Cash from his sleeping quarters on baby monitors.
Camera shows 18-year-old taking Dallas 4-year-old from his bed hours before his death
A baby camera monitoring system captured Darriynn Brown, 18, removing 4-year-old Cash Gernon from his bed just hours before the child’s body was discovered in a southwest Dallas roadway, according to an arrest document.
A jogger discovered Cash’s body the following morning on Saddleridge Drive in Dallas, eight blocks from the residence. The young youngster had been fatally stabbed, according to investigators.
The murder affidavit states that Cash’s blood was discovered on Brown’s clothing.
Brown s mental health questioned
We know:
FOX 4 interviewed Brown’s lawyer in 2021. Heath Harris asserted that his client was psychotic and not guilty.
Harris claimed that just before his arrest, Brown had been discharged from a mental health facility.
Both the defense and prosecution’s doctors determined that Brown was not competent to stand trial in 2022.
According to Brown’s defense team, he experienced hallucinations and was in a trance-like state when the murder occurred.
Man accused of murdering Dallas 4-year-old Cash Gernon found incompetent to stand trial
Cash Gernon, age 4, was killed by Darriynn Brown in Southwest Dallas last year, according to the police. Brown has now been deemed incompetent by a psychiatrist and a psychologist.
What is unknown to us:
Brown’s defense lawyer indicated that if he were ever found competent, he might be eligible to use the insanity argument after he was found incompetent.
It’s unclear at this time whether his attorneys still intend to raise that defense.
His trial has not yet been scheduled.
The Source: Court documents and earlier news reports provided the information for this story.
