Wash. man allegedly found in truck with dead woman faces murder charge, mental evaluation
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Prosecutors have filed a first-degree murder charge against a Washington man who authorities say was found driving a pickup truck with a dead woman in the passenger seat.
A judge on Thursday ordered 26-year-old Bernard Howell of Tenino to undergo a mental health evaluation to determine if he's competent to stand trial.
Howell is charged in the death of 60-year-old Vanda Boone, who recently moved to the Olympia, Wash., area from Long Island City, N.Y. It wasn't immediately known if Howell had an attorney.
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Court records say Howell told police when his truck was pulled over Sunday night that he just wanted to save the dead woman's family "the $5,000 it would cost to bury her."
Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock says Boone died after her throat was slashed. Detectives think Boone was walking or biking on a trail when she was attacked Sunday.
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Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com