LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The murder trial of a 12-year-old boy accused of setting last Halloween’s deadly Lakewood apartment fire was vacated Tuesday as his attorneys wait for a doctor to complete a competency evaluation.
The trial for the defendant had been set for early May and no date for a new trial was offered as attorneys gear up for a series of hearings involving the boy and his alleged 14-year-old accomplice.
The boy fidgeted, yawned and chewed on what appeared to be a disposable utensil during the nearly 20-minute hearing. He did not speak, only nodding when the judge asked him questions and raising two fingers as the hearing came to a close to get his attorney's attention.
The defendant appeared on Webex, as did his legal guardian and a relative of the mother and daughter who were killed in the Oct. 31 inferno. Around a half a dozen victims of the fire were present in the courtroom, which is reserved for juvenile hearings and decorated with the word HOPE in capitol letters across a back wall.
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