Baylor Suspect Competent to Stand Trial

WACO, Texas – A former Baylor basketball player accused of killing a teammate has regained his mental competence and is ready to stand trial, a psychologist says in a report that suggests the defendant may be faking some symptoms of psychosis.

The report by Thomas Gray, a psychologist at North Texas State Hospital, said Carlton Dotson (search) must continue to receive psychiatric care, take prescribed medication, and not use alcohol and illegal drugs if he is to remain competent, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported in its Friday editions.

Dotson continues to say he hears voices and reports other psychotic symptoms, but "his accounting of these symptoms has been markedly inconsistent from interview to interview," Gray said, "and results of psychological testing contribute to the conclusion that his report of symptoms is suspect."

Dotson, 22, was taken to the Vernon hospital after psychiatrists agreed he was incompetent to stand trial in the death of Patrick Dennehy (search). Dennehy was missing for about six weeks before his body was found in a field near Baylor University's Waco campus in July 2003.

Gray's report to District Judge George Allen, dated Wednesday, said Dotson is ready to be returned from the hospital to the McLennan County Jail. The report said Dotson has been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs for an unspecified psychotic disorder.

Allen ruled Dotson incompetent in October and sent him to the hospital for up to four months. It was unclear late Thursday when the judge will take up the issue again.

A few days before Dennehy was found dead, Dotson was arrested in his home state of Maryland after calling police from a store, saying he was hearing voices and needed counseling. Officers took him to a hospital, where he contacted the FBI (search).

Defense attorney Russ Hunt told the Tribune-Herald that if Dotson is competent he is eager to visit him.

Hunt said he and defense attorney Abel Reyna "have never talked to him about the facts of the offense because it was our opinion that he needed to be evaluated and we didn't want to do anything to compromise the psychiatric evaluation."