A Tucson man accused of fatally shooting a woman during a dispute over payment for sex has been ruled competent to stand trial, clearing the way for his case to move forward a little over four months after her death. William Michael Pritchard, 33, was charged with murder in the June death of 38-year-old Aimee Leigh Kimble, whose body was found in the enclosed patio of his apartment.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, Pima County Superior Court Judge Mark Hotchkiss ruled on November 2 that Pritchard is competent to move forward with legal proceedings, after hearing the opinions of two doctors who evaluated him. The ruling came roughly two months after Pritchard was ordered on September 3 to undergo the competency evaluation. His next court date is set for December 22.
The case dates back to late June, when Pritchard was arrested and booked into the Pima County jail in connection with Kimble’s fatal shooting at his apartment near East Golf Links Road and South Sarnoff Drive. Per an account carried by tucson.com, Pritchard’s sister called 911 on June 29 after he told her he had shot a woman, prompting the investigation that led officers to the patio where Kimble’s body was found.
What Pritchard Told Investigators
The interim complaint described in that same report lays out Pritchard’s version of events to police. He said he and Kimble had met on social media and that she came to his apartment wanting money in exchange for sex. The two got into an argument because he did not want to have sex with her or pay her, and Pritchard said Kimble attacked him, hitting him in the groin, face and arms…