Man ruled incompetent for trial in UPS driver's murder
After preliminary mental examinations, accused murderer Justin Barkley has been ruled mentally incompetent for trial in the death of a UPS driver in Ithaca, but prosecutors have vowed to pursue the case.
Barkley, 38, will be transferred to a New York State mental health institution for a more thorough and in-depth evaluation to determine whether he is mentally competent and capable of assisting with his own defense, Tompkins County District Attorney Matt Van Houten said Thursday.
Two psychiatric examinations ultimately decided Barkley was not competent, though a signature error in one of those documents inadvertently suggested to attorneys and court officials there was a split opinion. On Thursday, Tompkins County Judge John Rowley committed Barkley for state evaluation.
Rowley said he believes the prosecution is doing a disservice to the public by trying to argue Barkley's competency. But Van Houten countered that his office believes a state evaluation would conclude he is capable of assisting with his own defense.
"There's a major distinction between being capable ... and being unwilling to do so ... and we believe he is unwilling," Van Houten said Thursday. "I don't believe it would be justice that this individual is in a mental institution. Justice is Mr. Barkley being tried and being sentenced in accordance with the penal law."
Barkley faces 25 years to life in state prison, if convicted of the Dec. 8 death of 52-year-old Candor resident William Schumacher outside the Walmart store at 135 Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway in Ithaca.
In a previous court appearance, Barkley had claimed he was trying to kill President-elect Donald Trump, not Schumacher.
Prosecutors say Barkley intentionally caused the death of Schumacher — the two men were strangers — by shooting the victim and then running him over with a pickup truck.
Law enforcement officers quickly converged on the scene after getting 911 calls, and they traced Barkley to his Dryden residence, where he fired at police with a rifle to keep the officers away, according to court records. He was taken into custody without a struggle after an eight-hour standoff.
A suspected motive in the homicide remains undisclosed by law enforcement officials, though court records indicate Barkley confessed to the murder after being taken into custody.
Barkley also has a history working with the New York State Office of Mental Health, though he was not employed with the state agency at the time of the December murder.
The Tompkins County grand jury has indicted Barkley on felony counts of second-degree murder and menacing a police officer or peace officer.
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