NORFOLK, Va. - For hours on Tuesday, the question of whether Eric Brian Brown will be able to regain his competency through medication was argued.
Eric Brian Brown
Brown is a former Navy veteran accused of kidnapping and murdering Virginia Beachcollege student Ashanti Billie.
Billie is from Maryland but was attending college in Virginia Beach and working on JEB Little Creek.
Investigators say Brown abducted Billie from the base and killed her, leaving her body behind a church in North Carolina.
Brown was arrested and then diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since then, he has been held in federal care facilities. He is currently at FMC Butner in North Carolina. Since his arrest, he has refused to voluntarily take medication. However, he has been forcefully medicated at times because according to staff he has been violent and attempted to attack guards and staff.
During the hearing on Tuesday morning, Dr. Logan Graddy, a doctor and Chief Psychiatrist at FMC Butner, took the stand for the prosecution.
Dr. Graddy explained to the judge that he believes Brown could eventually regain his competency because when they had to forcefully medicate him, he showed signs of improvement. However, because Brown won't voluntarily take medication, they can only provide a small amount of medication to Brown, just enough to keep him from attacking other.
Dr. Graddy testified that if Brown was put on one of the facility's treatment plans, he believes Brown could regain his competency and stand trial for the crimes he is accused of.
The defense argued that since Brown is still not competent, even after being forcefully medicated against his wishes, he shouldn't be medicated any further.
The defense put their own witness on the stand to argue that forcefully medicating Brown is dangerous and not guaranteed to make him regain his competency. Their witness, Dr. George Corbin does not treat Brown, but spent 16 hours with him over the course of nine visits.
Dr. Corbin gave some insight to Brown's delusions, he testified that Brown believes the Government is trying to steal land from him. Brown also refuses to take medication because he believes there is a virus in the drugs and injections doctors are trying to give him, according to Dr. Corbin.
After hearing arguments all day, the judge asked both sides to submit a summary of their findings within seven days. The judge will then make his ruling.
Click here for our full coverage on the disappearance of Ashanti Billie
