Accused killer not competent to stand trial
The fatal love story of Stephanie Marie Harris and Pedrell Davis has entered a new chapter. Harris, accused of killing her boyfriend Davis with a knife to the chest in April, has been judged not competent to stand trial and not likely to regain competency, a quicker-thanusual arrival at that conclusion.
“You can’t prosecute a person who doesn’t understand the proceedings,” said Paul Tiffin, the Milwaukee County assistant district attorney on the case. He did not contest the decision.
Now, the focus shifts to a civil commitment to get her into protective placement. The order in July by Judge Timothy Dugan puts Harris at the county’s Mental Health Complex while the civil case proceeds. For now, Harris is not fighting temporary commitment.
There’s a hearing in January to let the judge know how her treatment is going.
This all pains Davis’ mother, Mary Jones, who said she believes Harris is “playing possum” to avoid taking responsibility.
A psychologist who interviewed Harris for nine hours and did a battery of tests would beg to differ. In a report to the court, Courtney Endres, of the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, found Harris to have serious intellectual deficits, post-traumatic stress, a brain injury, a history of being abused and impaired social functioning.
Endres said Harris lacks the verbal and comprehension skills to assist her lawyer, who is quoted in the report saying Harris is “incredibly childlike.”
“This is not something that can be improved with medication or treatment, which is often the method by which individuals regain legal competency,” the report says.
After a previous column I wrote about this case, Jones and other relatives of Davis called to say I made him sound like a violent person. In my defense, Davis was facing trial for battering and choking Harris last year, which he denied doing and his family doesn’t believe for a minute.
“You had it all wrong. My son was being abused by Stephanie,” said Jones, who sent photos of his face bruised and scratched to the district attorney. “He’s not a violent type person. I raised him not to hit females.”
Davis, 24, and Harris, 32, neither of whom had much of a previous criminal record, dated for four years. Jones said Harris was Davis’ first girlfriend. The doctor’s report says she has five children from previous relationships, and was unable to care for any of them. She was raised by her aunt and cousin, dropped out of high school and muddled through life.
“That’s what my son fell for, thinking he could help her,” said Jones, who lives in Texas.
But she said he had come to the point where he was trying to break up with Harris, and she wasn’t taking it well. A co-worker of Davis said Harris would call for him constantly, causing him to lose his job.
The couple quarreled early on April 14 at Davis’ grandmother’s apartment at N. 13th and W. Locust streets. where they were living for a short time, despite no-contact orders trying to keep them apart. Davis tried to leave the apartment and Harris allegedly ran from the bedroom with a knife and stabbed him in the chest.
Harris cried later that she didn’t want Davis to die, but the wound proved fatal. She was charged with second-degree reckless homicide while armed, which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, not all that much time for a murder.
The case remains open, but it’s unclear if Harris will ever be tried. Evaluation and treatment will continue indefinitely while justice waits to be served.
“This could go on until she dies,” Tiffin said. “It could go on forever.”
Jim Stingl The case remains open, but it’s unclear if Harris will ever be tried for the homicide.