Ohio Judge: Autistic Murder Suspect Unfit For Trial

AP
Published: September 14, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A northeast Ohio judge says an autistic teenager is incompetent to stand trial in the fatal beating of his mother and should be institutionalized. In the Monday ruling, Portage County Common Pleas Judge John Enslow says 18-year-old Sky Walker is guilty of murdering his mother, 60-year-old Gertrude “Trudy” Steuernagel.

Steuernagel was a Kent State University professor who was beaten in her home in January. Walker will be committed to the Northwest Ohio Development Center, where he will be evaluated every six months by the court. Autism is a developmental disability that limits social interaction and communication skills.

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