HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - A 62-year-old man accused of fatally shooting two brothers south of Barboursville has been found mentally incompetent.
The Herald-Dispatch (https://bit.ly/OkhLYL ) says Rodney Black’s evaluation was presented Friday at his arraignment in Cabell Circuit Court. Black is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of 60-year-old Garrick Hopkins and 61-year-old Carl Hopkins of Oak Hill.
A public defender entered a not guilty plea on Black’s behalf.
The brothers were killed Jan. 25 as they toured land that Garrick Hopkins and his wife had purchased.
Black’s attorney said a forensic psychological evaluation questioned whether his client could ever be competent to stand trial. Public defender Peter Levy wants Black transferred from a jail to a hospital.
A judge gave the state until next week to respond to the defense request.
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Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, https://www.herald-dispatch.com
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