A competency hearing for a Cortez man accused of killing his mother last July has been delayed again pending a third mental health evaluation.
Jeremiah Damron was ruled mentally incompetent to participate in his own defense in October.
The court ordered treatment and an evaluation from the Colorado Mental Health Institute. On March 2, the Institute deemed that Damron was competent to proceed, according to court records.
Damron appeared in court on Tuesday for a status conference after the Colorado Department of Human Services submitted a report on his mental state, but defense attorney John Moran, requested another competency assessment. Montezuma County District Judge Todd Plewe granted the request, scheduling Damron’s court appearance for June 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Damron was ruled incompetent to stand trial after a preliminary examination showed he suffered from serious mental health issues. His court-ordered treatment through CDHS was delayed until February.
On Tuesday, Plewe said he had found a doctor to perform another mental health assessment, but he wasn’t able to schedule an appointment with Damron until June.
Moran said Damron had appeared mentally competent earlier in the year but recently has behaved similarly to the way he did leading up to his mother’s death. Moran referred to a “cyclical nature” of Damron’s mental health issues.
If the defense and prosecution cannot agree on competency status for Damron, an evidence hearing will be held and the judge will make the decision on competency.
Damron, 36, was arrested July 20 on suspicion of homicide after the burned body of his mother, Kristie Damron, was found in his backyard on County Road 21.75. He was charged with first-degree murder on July 28 and is being held at Montezuma County Detention Center, with a protection order that forbids contact between him and several family members. A first-degree murder charge carries a minimum sentence of life in prison and a maximum sentence of death.
