A man charged with the 2015 murder of a New Orleans cop delayed jury selection in his trial after rubbing feces on himself and forcing the judge to dismiss the present jury panel.
Jury selection had started Wednesday morning for Travis Boys' first-degree murder trial, but when he returned to his seat after a bathroom break, he reportedly pulled a napkin out of his pocket and began rubbing feces all over his head and face. More than 90 potential jurors witnessed the act.
Judge Karen Herman cleared the courtroom and ordered a competency hearing to be held Thursday. Today she ruled that Boys is incompetent to stand trial at this time for the murder of Officer Daryle Holloway, according to Fox8Live. Last month, Judge Herman ruled that Boys was competent to stand trial after he was cleared by both a psychologist and psychiatrist.
After the latest decision was read aloud in court, members of the Holloway family burst into tears.
Boys will now be sent to a secure mental facility in E. Feliciana Parish. He will remain there until his treatment is completed and then he will be returned to New Orleans to face the murder charges.
District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro released the following statement in response to the decision:
"Today’s decision by the Court was extremely disturbing. Not only did medical experts testify that the defendant was malingering, but also every piece of evidence presented to the Court evidenced that this was a voluntary planned disruption perpetrated by the defendant to delay the trial.
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time that such a charade has been attempted by violent criminals in Louisiana. However, in those other jurisdictions, the Court did not reward the defendant by delaying his trial.
"I had hoped that this Court was too intelligent to allow an accused cop killer to hijack these proceedings, but I was incorrect. I fear that today’s decision will only encourage similarly situated defendants to engage in such misconduct in the future. As my prosecutor argued in court this afternoon, 'You think that eating feces is bad? Just wait for what’s next. This will not stop… He is manipulating the Court, and he is manipulating [the judge].'
"This afternoon, the city of New Orleans sunk to a new low when we turn control of our criminal justice system over to an accused murderer who killed a dedicated police officer on film."
Prosecutors say Boys smuggled a gun into Officer Holloway’s patrol car after being arrested for shooting at his wife in 2015. He has pled not guilty by reason of insanity on the first-degree murder charge. The district attorney ruled out the death penalty, meaning Boys could face life in prison if convicted.
Source: NOLA.com
