State v. Kent

The appellant Gary Wayne Kent appeals his first degree murder conviction and subsequent life-without-mercy sentence. Following his conviction, the appellant filed a motion for a new trial asserting, inter alia, that he lacked the competency to stand trial. We find that the circuit court erred in not granting the appellant’s motion. Therefore, we overturn the appellant’s conviction.1

I

On July 26, 1998, Gary Wayne Kent allegedly shot and killed Thomas Lee Allen. On July 27, 1998, a Marion County • magistrate issued a warrant for the appellant’s arrest; local law enforcement officials arrested…