A person charged with attacking a flight attendant with a damaged steel spoon and making an attempt to open an airliner’s emergency door on a cross-country flight in March is just not at present competent to face trial, a federal choose dominated.
Magistrate Judge Judith Dein, basing her resolution on a psychological well being analysis of Francisco Severo Torres and her personal observations in court docket, decided Wednesday that additional remedy is warranted, in keeping with court docket information.
“The Court hereby finds … that the defendant is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense,” Dein wrote in her resolution.
She additionally wrote that she denied a request by Torres to be freed so he may “further investigate the conspiracy which eventually led to his actions on the plane.”
Torres, of Leominster, Massachusetts, is charged with a felony associated to utilizing a harmful weapon to intervene with flight crew members within the incident on United Airlines Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston on March 5.
The analysis was performed on the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, the place he was despatched after an preliminary court docket look days after the assault. He has not entered a plea.
Torres’ lawyer mentioned in court docket Wednesday that he has no proof in opposition to the analysis’s findings, however informed Dein that his shopper objects to the discovering and asserts he’s competent to face trial, in keeping with court docket information. The protection lawyer requested that his shopper stay at FMC Devens.
Federal public defender Joshua Hanye declined touch upon Wednesday’s proceedings when reached by e-mail Thursday.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons information point out that Torres stays at FMC Devens.
According to prosecutor and witness accounts, Torres went on a midair rant and tried to stab the crewmember with a modified steel spoon.
The aircraft was about 45 minutes from Boston when the crew obtained an alarm {that a} aspect door on the plane was disarmed, in keeping with court docket paperwork. One flight attendant observed the door’s locking deal with had been moved. Another noticed Torres close to the door and believed he had moved the deal with. Cabin stress throughout flight prevents airplane doorways from opening.
Torres began loudly rambling that his father was Dracula, that he needed to be shot so he may very well be reincarnated and that he would kill everybody on board, one other passenger mentioned.
He punched a male flight attendant, who felt the steel spoon in Torres’ hand hit him on his shirt collar and tie thrice, in keeping with court docket paperwork. No one was injured.
Torres was ultimately subdued and restrained by different passengers. If convicted, he may very well be sentenced to life in jail.
Torres has hung out in psychological well being services, in keeping with court docket information. The police chief in his hometown mentioned officers have handled him a number of occasions since 2014, largely over household points and psychological well being episodes.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”