SALEM, Mass. (AP) — Doctors have found a man suspected of bludgeoning his girlfriend to death in Massachusetts competent to stand trial.
The Salem News reports prosecutors told a judge Thursday doctors at Bridgewater State Hospital found 32-year-old John Devine competent to face first-degree murder charges in the death of 51-year-old Tanya Nichols.
A roommate found Nichols’ body in her Marblehead home in December 2014. Nichols was a former dancer who performed with the Boston Ballet in the 1980s.
Devine was committed for six months in 2017 after a psychologist determined he was not fit for trial.
Devine’s attorney says while doctors have now found his client competent, they still recommend he remain at the hospital.
A judge will have the final say on whether Devine is competent to stand trial.
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