The man who was seen on tape killing a 4-year-old Dallas boy almost four years ago by removing him from his bed is now competent to stand trial. More information regarding that and the potential course of his capital murder prosecution is being obtained by FOX 4.
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The man accused of kidnapping and killing 4-year-old Cash Gernon in Dallas was recently found competent to stand trial.
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FOX 4 talked to several attorneys about what that means and how this capital murder case could proceed.
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Darriynn Brown s defense team hopes he will be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
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The man accused of kidnapping and killing 4-year-old Cash Gernon in Dallas was recently found competent to stand trial.
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FOX 4 talked to several attorneys about what that means and how this capital murder case could proceed.
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Darriynn Brown s defense team hopes he will be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
DallasThe man who was seen on tape killing a 4-year-old Dallas boy almost four years ago by removing him from his bed is now competent to stand trial. More information regarding that and the potential course of his capital murder prosecution is being obtained by FOX 4.
4-year-old Cash Gernon murdered
The backstory
The discovery of 4-year-old Cash Gernon’s death by a jogger on Saddleridge Drive in South Dallas in May 2021 was a tragic event.
He had been fatally stabbed.
“The cutest youngster. In a 2021 interview with FOX 4, Cameron Mori said, “He loved everybody.”
Cash and his twin brother had been under the care of Mori’s mother. Their father, who left kids with her, was pals with her. There was no sign of their mother.
Darriynn Brown, then eighteen, was taken into custody by Dallas police and charged with capital murder, kidnapping, burglary, and child injury.
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 baby monitor recorded Brown removing Cash from his bed while he was asleep, according to an arrest document.
Additionally, Brown was connected to the murder of the young boy by DNA evidence.
However, he was admitted to Terrell State Hospital after it was determined by defense specialists and prosecutors that he was incompetent.
Darriynn Brown s competency restored
In 2025, Darriynn Brown (Dallas County prison).
We know:
Brown was deemed competent to stand trial and was sent back to the Dallas County jail last week. This indicates that he has received treatment and can now comprehend the charges against him.
What is unknown to us:
There are still unanswered questions regarding his client’s mental condition at the time of the crime, according to defense lawyer Heath Harris.
It has nothing to do with his present mental condition. It concerns the state of his mind at the moment of the alleged offense. “We believe the insanity defense will be used,” Harris stated, echoing what he said at the time.
Man accused of murdering Dallas 4-year-old Cash Gernon now competent to stand trial
A 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.
What they’re saying:
“For the insanity issue, it’s whether you were legally insane at the time of the crime,” stated Toby Shook, a former prosecutor who is outside the case.
Shook thinks the prosecution will try to determine Brown’s mental state at the time of Cash’s murder by using their own experts.
According to the DA’s office’s previous actions, they frequently concur if they think there is a genuine insanity defense after their experts have reviewed it. By no means does that imply that the defendant leaves and returns home. However, they will concur. There will typically be a trial and a battle of experts if the DA’s experts disagree,” he stated.
Next steps:
To decide how to proceed with the case, prosecutors will examine Brown’s treatment records and probably conduct additional psychiatric testing.
The case is being presided over by Judge Stephanie Huff, who is allegedly attempting to speed up the trial.
Harris stated that although Brown is competent at this point, if the trial proceeds that far, he might not be by then.
“He s dealing with a mental illness, a mental disease,” he stated.
The Source: This story’s information is based on interviews with former prosecutor Toby Shook, defense lawyer Heath Harris, and previous news reports.
