Judge orders psychiatric tests in 11-year-old's shooting case

By: Jamie Rogers | SCNow
Published: July 23, 2008

A Chesterfield judge said Wednesday he would not decide immediately if an 11-year-old Dillon boy accused of shooting his sister in the face was competent to stand trial.

Dillon County sheriff’s deputies said the boy and his sister were home alone Feb. 12 when they began arguing over a bag of potato chips.
The boy got his father’s .410 caliber shotgun and shot his sister in the face with it, Dillon County Chief Deputy Sheriff Douglas Pernell said.

Family Court Judge Roger Henderson said during Wednesday’s competency hearing that “he wasn’t convinced one way or another” on the issue after hearing the testimony of a state-employed psychologist who interviewed the boy in April.

Instead, Henderson ordered the boy — who was 10 when the shooting happened — to undergo a battery of psychiatric tests.

Dr. Alicia Hall, a psychologist with the S.C. Department of Mental Health, said during the hearing that she questioned the boy in April and again Wednesday morning and found him incompetent to stand trial.

During the hour-long April interview, the boy was found to be socially immature and had some developmental issues, Hall said.
“It was like I was interacting with a child that was 7 and not 10,” she said.

The boy also had a high level of anxiety and showed signs of having attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, she said.

The boy knew about the assault and battery with intent to kill charge he faced and he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, Hall said.

It also appeared the boy lacks the ability to grasp the concept of long-term consequences, Hall said.

The boy was able to answer questions about the case after certain details were explained to him but this doesn’t mean he’s competent, she said.

Hall said the boy had trouble retaining information and would not be able to aid his attorney in his defense.

After the ordered psychiatric tests are complete, Henderson said he would meet with Rosalind Sellers, the boy’s attorney, and 4th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Kernard Redmond to discuss what would be done next.