A shocking legal loophole that could allow accused murderers to avoid trial was in the spotlight on Friday’s episode of Today in Ohio, which examined a controversial proposal to change how Ohio handles competency in murder cases.
The discussion centered on a bill backed by Attorney General Dave Yost that would extend the window to restore a defendant’s competency from one year to five years specifically for murder and aggravated murder cases. This comes in direct response to the disturbing case of Delonte Hardy, accused of killing Cleveland Police Officer Jameson Ritter and his grandmother.
Leila Atassi explained the current predicament: “Hardy was found incompetent and sent to a psychiatric hospital, but he refused medications for months. And because that time counted against the one year limit, prosecutors worried that he’d run out the clock and never face trial.”…