Man charged with murder incompetent to stand trial

A man accused of fatally stabbing a woman in a South Side apartment six months ago has been found incompetent to stand trial.

Christopher W. Martin, 28, will be committed to Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare, a state psychiatric hospital on the Hilltop, for treatment, with the goal of restoring his competency within the one year allowed by law.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly Cocroft made the ruling Wednesday, based on a psychologist’s evaluation of Martin. Prosecuting and defense attorneys agreed with the psychologist’s finding that Martin is unable to understand the charges against him or assist in his defense because of mental illness.

He was indicted for aggravated murder and kidnapping in the May 9 death of 30-yearold Erika D. Daniels, who was stabbed in an apartment above a storefront in the 1000 block of Parsons Avenue.

Police were called to the apartment by a 911 caller who said she saw a man beating a woman who was screaming for help from a second-floor window.

Minutes later, police said, a man believed to be Martin called 911 and said to a dispatcher, “Oh my God, what did I do?”

The woman who called 911 referred to the victim and her attacker as partners and said they had recently moved into the apartment. Court records show Martin’s last address in the Berwick neighborhood of Columbus. Martin