Elderly woman in murder case still incompetent for trial
Feb. 27—A woman in her 70s who is accused of murdering another woman around the same age with a hammer in the Manchester housing complex where they both lived last April is still experiencing severe psychiatric symptoms and is unable to make sound decisions, an expert witness testified Thursday.
In accordance with the testimony of the expert, which neither side in the case disputed, Judge Sheila M. Prats found during a hearing in Hartford Superior Court that Dalas Elder remains incompetent to stand trial.
But, also in accordance with the testimony of the expert, Natalie Greenfield, a licensed clinical social worker at the Whiting Forensic Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, the judge found a "substantial probability" that Elder can be restored to competency.
The judge scheduled another hearing for May 27 to review the issue again.
To be found competent to stand trial under state law, a defendant in a criminal case must be able to understand the proceedings and assist in her defense.
Elder is accused of attacking Andrea Mazzoli, 73, with a hammer on April 23 at the Krause Gardens Apartments at 619 Hartford Road. Mazzoli died of her injuries five days later.
Elder lived in an apartment near where Mazzoli was found, police say.
Judge Laura F. Baldini made the initial finding that Elder was incompetent to stand trial at a hearing in December.
During Thursday's hearing, Greenfield testified under direct examination by public defender Claud E. Chong that she believes Elder can be restored to competency "with additional assessments and consults," according to an audio recording of the hearing.
She based her opinions on a Jan. 28 evaluation of Elder.
Under cross examination by prosecutor Robert Diaz, Greenfield said Elder has made some progress since the initial competency evaluation that preceded the December hearing — and that she understands some issues in her case.
But Greenfield also said, "I don't think Ms. Elder has the ability at this time to understand the serious nature of her charges."
While Elder knows who her lawyer is, she doesn't view him as a "legal resource" and is unable to bring relevant evidence to his attention, Greenfield said.
Elder has a long psychiatric history that has included multiple hospitalizations, some for long periods of time, according to another licensed clinical social worker who testified at the December hearing.
Elder's psychiatric diagnoses have included paranoid schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and substance-use disorders, according to the December testimony by Vivian Carr of the state Office of Forensic Evaluations.
She has been held since her arrest on the day of the hammer attack in lieu of $750,000 bond and is currently a patient at Whiting, Connecticut's maximum-security psychiatric hospital.
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