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District Court Judge Brett Watson has ordered that a psychologist evaluate 32-year-old Christopher K. W. Barnshaw’s competency to stand trial this month. The evaluation will seek to determine if a mental illness or defect would impact Barnshaw’s ability to understand the court procedures and the crimes he is accused of committing.
Prosecutors say Barnshaw killed two relatives earlier this year in Topeka’s Oakland neighborhood: 29-year-old Ashley Brown and 55-year-old Sean Thornton. He is also accused of kidnapping Brown’s two-year-old son in July. The charges he is facing include the following:
- Two charges of murder in the first degree.
- Aggravated burglary of a dwelling.
- Aggravated endangering of a child.
- Kidnapping.
Court documents released in September show Barnshaw suffers from mental health issues such as schizophrenia. Pending the completion of his mental health evaluation, court proceedings are temporarily halted.
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