Doctor clears murder suspect for trial

Fayetteville man faces charges in fatal stabbing that ended 2015 altercation

FAYETTEVILLE — A man charged with capital murder in a fatal 2015 stabbing in Fayetteville is mentally fit to go to trial, according to a doctor at Arkansas State Hospital.

Fayetteville police found David Allen, 25, with stab wounds early on Oct. 24, 2015, at Stadium Apartments, 1069 Olympic Place, according to a police news release. Allen died later at a hospital. Police said Allen had been stabbed 10 times in the back and once in the neck.

Cantrell Graydon, 32, of Fayetteville was arrested the day of the stabbing. He’s charged with capital murder and a parole violation.

Witnesses at the apartment told police there was a fight between family members. Graydon used a knife to stab a man, then fled, according to the report.

Witnesses said they had asked for help breaking up the fight but “never told Graydon to get a knife or use it,” according to the report.

“All parties involved were extremely surprised by his actions,” according to the report.

Graydon told police that he tried to break up a fight between Allen and another man, but that Allen “flipped out” on him. Graydon then went to the kitchen and got a knife, which he used to stab the man, police said.

Dr. Melissa Dannacher, a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said Graydon had the capacity at the time of the stabbing to appreciate the criminality of his actions and conform his behavior to the requirements of the law.

Graydon also has the capacity to understand the proceedings against him and assist in his defense, she said.

Dannacher diagnosed Graydon with mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury with behavioral disturbance; alcohol use in sustained remission in a controlled environment; and malingering, or faking symptoms.

Graydon told doctors that he was shot in the head several years ago in Little Rock.