The man accused of killing long-time Marion County educator Rosa Geneva Towe has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, just a little more than two years after her death.
Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles ruled that 49-year old Daryl Clarence Stewart wasn’t competent to stand trial because of his mental state and ordered a petition for judicial commitment proceedings in Probate Court after a hearing Tuesday morning, 12th District Solicitor Ed Clements III said.
Clements said Stewart was determined by forensic examiners to be autistic and borderline mentally retarded after a mental evaluation.
Marion police officers arrested Stewart on May 8, 2007, who was charged with murder Towe’s slaying.
Towe, 83, was found stabbed to death that day on the bathroom floor of her Smith Street home, according to the police incident report.
Stewart had lived next door to Towe, doing odd jobs for her like mowing the lawn, police and neighbors said. A motive for the crime wasn’t released.
The Blair hearing regarding Stewart’s mental competency took place before the case was to be tried in general sessions court, Clements said.
Two doctors with the state Department of Disabilities and Special Needs testified that Stewart is severely autistic and unlikely to be competent in the near future.
Stewart will be committed to a state facility, Clements said.
“If he doesn’t become competent, he could stay there forever,” Clements said. “In this case, what he’s dealing with is a disability.”
Towe taught in Marion County for more than 60 years. She spent 32 years as a teacher at Johnakin High School and Marion High School, retiring in 1978. Although she retired, she continued to teach at the Marion County Alternative School.
Towe was the first black woman to serve as a member of Marion City Council. She also served on a number of committees and was a faithful member of St. John AME Church.
After her death, Towe was honored with Resolutions of Appreciation from the Marion City Council and Marion County Council.
“She taught my mom English, and she actually placed me in a cotillion and I received a scholarship from that to go to college,” former student Angela Crosland said in a previous interview. “She was a pillar of the community and a wonderful person.”
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