State v. Edwards

(on reassignment).

[¶ 1.] We must decide whether a competency hearing is required when a psychiatrist verifies a defendant understands the court proceedings, but states further observation would be “helpful” in deciding if defendant’s “ideas are the product of mental illness or disgust with the system.” At times, Vernon Edwards disrupted proceedings, lapsed into irrelevant rambling, and demanded a new attorney, yet based upon his answers to the trial court’s extensive questioning, he expressed an adequate understanding of the legal process and indicated he could cooperate with his lawyer. The…