Delay in Transgender Stabbing Trial

Gary Niles Montgomery, the 56-year-old Washington man accused of stabbing and killing Deoni Jones, a transgender woman, at a Northeast D.C. bus stop, was today remanded to St. Elizabeth's Hospital for follow-up mental evaluations, nearly a year to the date after Jones was murdered. At Tuesday's hearing, D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin ordered the additional mental evaluation to determine whether Montgomery he is competent to stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder while armed. Montgomery, who was previously found competent to stand trial, was scheduled for June 10 trial. That trial date has been vacated following Morin's order that Montgomery be held at St. Elizabeth's. Under the D.C. Official Code, any defendant found incompetent in a criminal case must be remanded to a mental hospital for further evaluation to determine whether the case can move forward.