LAMORINDA, CA — A judge stopped a murder trial midstream Thursday after concerns surfaced about whether the suspect accused of killing a Lafayette man with a hatchet is able to understand the case against him.
In a courtroom in Martinez, Judge Terri Mockler suspended proceedings against David Swank Prince after his defense attorney raised doubts about the 35-year-old's competency to stand trial.
The court set a hearing for April 21, when authorities will appoint a doctor to evaluate Prince’s mental condition.
Prince faces a Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office charge for the killing of Christopher Jaber. He was arraigned on March 25. It's still unclear whether Jaber and his suspected killer knew each other.
Prince, a Butte County residents, is suspected of killing Jaber with a hatchet. Events began on March 21 around 11:30 a.m. when Jaber’s relative reported a man with a hatchet outside a Lafayette property near Westminster Place, claiming he tried to break into the in-law unit where Jaber lived. Lafayette Police found Prince nearby.
Officers found Jaber dead inside, according to the Lafayette Police Department.
A motive for the slaying has not been released. But in a Facebook post from a person with the same as Prince wrote that he needed someone to kill a Chris Jaber. In the post, the person wrote that Jaber is 34 and lives in Lafayette. Police have not publicly said whether the account belonged to the same David Prince, but it is no longer accessible.
Authorities set his bail at $1 million, police said.
Prince remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility as the case pauses for the competency review, a court-ordered assessment of his mental fitness to participate in the trial.
Anyone with information should call Contra Costa Sheriff's Office at 925-313-2600.
patch.com/california/lamorinda/authorities-id-man-killed-lafayette-stabbing
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