Psych exam ordered for suspect accused of beating Fort Worth man to death with firewood
A psychiatric exam has been ordered for the 27-year-old suspect who is charged with murder for allegedly beating a man to death with firewood outside a Fort Worth home. The examination should determine whether he is currently competent to stand trial.
Chrisantus Omondi will be examined by a doctor about 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Tarrant County Jail, where he is being held without bond, according to court records. The exam report will be submitted to District Judge George Gallagher.
Omondi, who faces a murder charge in the killing of 51-year-old Scotty Jackson, was also indicted by a grand jury on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to court documents.
Omondi’s attorney has not yet responded to the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.
On the evening of Jan. 13, Jackson arrived at a home in the 3900 block of Wendover Drive in a U-Haul filled with firewood and began to unload the vehicle. That’s when Jackson and the homeowner he was delivering the wood to were approached by Omondi, who was naked, police said in an arrest warrant.
The suspect was holding a key and said, “This is my house, I have the key right here,” according to the warrant.
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Both Jackson and the homeowner told Omondi to leave, and the suspect picked up a piece of wood and immediately struck Jackson in the head, the homeowner told police.
Jackson was making some last-minute deliveries before a winter storm that brought snow and ice to North Texas the day after the deadly assault.
Omondi again swung the piece of wood and hit the homeowner, who tried to block the strike with his arm, according to the warrant. The witness ran and locked himself inside his home in an attempt to get away from the attacker.
The homeowner called 911 and watched in terror as Omondi continued to hit Jackson and dump a wheelbarrow on him, the warrant says. The homeowner said he saw Omondi leave and go toward a neighbor’s yard. In the 911 call, the witness described Omondi as going into a residence, which police discovered is an Airbnb.
Officers responded to the residence Omondi walked into and could hear yelling coming from inside, the warrant says. The front door was open and officers identified themselves, requesting the person yelling to come out.
Omondi then came out of the house and yelled at officers, police said. Officers stunned him with a Taser because he was “non-compliant and aggressive,” according to the warrant. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
A tenant staying at the Airbnb told police she heard the disturbance outside before Omondi, who she recognized was a tenant staying in a guest room, came into the house yelling at her and threatened to beat her up.
Omondi has a criminal history including charges of theft, evading arrest or detention, and aggravated assault against a security officer, according to Tarrant County court records. At the time of his arrest, the court ordered that information be collected about whether Omondi has a mental illness.
