Suspect Ruled Incompetent Stand Trial in Clinton Township Slaying

A man accused in the murder and sexual assault of Clinton Township resident Jacqueline Neumann last summer has been found incompetent to stand trial,

Judge Linda Davis of 41-B District Court said the findings of a psychiatric evaluation show Joseph James Pagan, 38, of Detroit is not mentally fit to stand trial, The Macomb Daily reports.

Pagan has been transported from the Macomb County Jail at Mount Clemons, where he had been held since last summer, to the State Center for Forensic Psychiatry near Ypsilanti or the evaluation. The court will receive regular updates about his treatment and he could be judged competent to stand trial at a later date, the newspaper said..

Neumann, the 47-year-old mother of a pre-teen son, was found dead Aug. 10 in her mobile home. Pagan was arrested two days later in Detroit by Clinton Township detectives working with the U.S. Marshal’s Service. He was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Neumann was Pagan’s caregiver at the time of her death. The two reportedly had dated two years before that, but Neumann broke it off when Pagan allegedly threatened to kill her and her 11-year-old son. Police reportedly warned him to stay away from Neumann.

In September 2012, Neumann filed a report against Pagan for domestic assault with New Baltimore police, who arrested him for felonious assault and crack cocaine possession.

"The domestic assault occurred while they were operating a motor vehicle through the city," New Baltimore Police Chief Tim Wiley told Patch, emphasizing the importance of a 24/7 station, which the department has had since opening its new location.

He was placed on probation in October 2012, but the two remained in contact. Pagan, who is reportedly disabled and has a history of mental illness, hired Neumann as his caregiver.

According to the Macomb Daily report, Neumann was described by neighbors as a very caring woman who did extensive volunteer work for the Salvation Army

Neumann reportedly was planning to leave the state for a two-week vacation before she was killed. Her son wasn’t home at the time.

Police described the murder scene as “gruesome.” She reportedly was stabbed multiple times, shot with a pellet gun and had a plastic bag over her face.