Broomfield Ax-Murder Trial: Emanuel Doll Schizophrenic: Doctors

BRIGHTON, CO -- The Broomfield man charged with killing his four-year-old nephew with an ax last spring has schizophrenia and is incapable of assisting in his own defense, psychological experts testified Thursday at a mental competency hearing for Emanuel Joseph Doll.

Doll's court-appointed lawyer, Public Defender Kathryn Herold, led questioning of Dr. Scott Walmer, a forensic psychiatrist with Parkview Medical Center, according to reports in the Broomfield Enterprise.

Doll, 25, suffered from delusions, including that his sperm was stolen and as a result his nephew was actually his son, that the FBI was spying on him and that there was a "mental server" in his brain that spoke in different voices, Walmer said, which led to his professional diagnosis.

Doll is accused of first-degree murder after allegedly killing his nephew, Jace Emmanuel Higginbotham, 4, with an ax in the basement of his parents' home in the 4200 block of West 136th Avenue.

An arrest affidavit said Doll was living at home with his parents and they were taking care of the young boy for the day. The boy had been playing upstairs with an iPad when Doll allegedly asked him to go into the basement with him.

Doll's mother told police she heard a noise like a "pillowcase loaded with items hitting the floor."
She said that she asked her son what was happening. He said "nothing," and headed outside. She went downstairs and discovered the boy. He was dead. Police described the child's body as having a "massive amount of trauma."

Read more about the competency hearing in the Broomfield Enterprise.

More from Patch:

Broomfield Man Killed Nephew With Ax, Say Police

Image Emanuel Doll via Broomfield Police