TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — One of the two men accused in the fatal shooting of a Cherokee County rancher in July has been found competent to stand trial.
The Tahlequah Daily Press reports that 25-year-old Paul Dean Newberry had been ordered to undergo a competency evaluation after reports that he attempted to commit suicide in the Sequoyah County jail.
He was found to be competent as he appeared before District Judge Darrell Shepherd last week.
Newberry and 23-year-old Cheyenne Mason Watts are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Charley Kirk at his home in the Keys area. They're also charged with burglary, larceny of an automobile, robbery with a weapon, arson and attempted arson.
Newberry pleaded not guilty last week. Newberry's jury trial is scheduled for May.
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