BLOOMFIELD -- A Bloomfield man, who spent more than 10 years in a mental health facility, was ordered to stand trial Thursday afternoon for the 2004 stabbing death of his stepbrother.
Leslie Hazel with the Public Defender’s Office in Kennett, filed a waiver of preliminary hearing on Wednesday in Justen Lee Patterson’s case.
Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield accepted the waiver and ordered Patterson to appear at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 before Presiding Circuit Judge Robert Mayer for arraignment in his case.
The 35-year-old is charged with the Class A felony of second-degree murder and unclassified felony of armed criminal action.
Patterson is accused of the Sept. 4, 2004, stabbing death of Vernon Eugene Lipsey, 18, of Poplar Bluff. The stabbing occurred during the early morning hours at Patterson’s then Bowman Street residence in Bernie.
After initially being charged with Lipsey’s death, Patterson was found to be permanently incompetent. Mental health officials reportedly determined Patterson was unable to assist in his defense.
In the ensuing 10 years, Patterson received treatment. He was discharged in November.
Since that time, Patterson has had at least one more mental examination and again was found competent to stand trial.
On Sept. 18, Hazel filed a notice of “intent to rely on defense of mental disease or defect excluding responsibility” with the court.
In that notice, Hazel says it is her client’s intent to “rely on the defense of non-responsibility for any alleged criminal conduct because (he), as a result of mental disease or defect, did not or could not appreciate the nature, quality or wrongfulness of his conduct or was incapable of conforming his conduct to the requirements of law.”
Patterson, the further notice says, has “no defense” to the charge pending against him, other than the defense of mental disease or defect excluding responsibility.