Dotson Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial

WACO, Texas – A former Baylor University (search) basketball player charged with murdering a teammate was ruled incompetent to stand trial Thursday.

District Judge George Allen sent Carlton Dotson (search), 22, to a state mental hospital for up to four months, after which his competence will be evaluated again.

Dotson could get life in prison if convicted of shooting Patrick Dennehy (search), who was missing about six weeks before his body was found in 2003 in a field near Baylor's Waco campus.

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. Authorities have not given a motive for the slaying.

The judge's ruling came after three experts — one for the defense, one for the prosecution, and one appointed by the court — all found that Dotson was incompetent to stand trial.

Dr. Stephen L. Mark, the court-appointed psychiatrist, said Dotson appears to be hallucinating and suffers from psychosis, but with treatment at a hospital he could regain competency to stand trial "in the foreseeable future."

Some people close to Dotson said he reported hearing voices and seeing visions as early as 2002.