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Man in rape case found incompetent to stand trial
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Posted on Apr 05 2019
One of four men who are being accused of raping a woman has been found incompetent to stand trial due to what is being described as his “untreatable intellectual disorder.”
This came about after the Superior Court reviewed the mental evaluation reports of two different psychiatric experts who had evaluated Christopher Saimon, 38.
With this, Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio absolved Saimon of two counts of sexual assault in the second-degree.
Both experts, Dr. Martin Blinder, who was appointed by the defense, and Dr. Dennis Donovan, who was appointed by the prosecution, deemed Saimon incompetent to stand trial “and it is unlikely for him to regain competence because of his lifelong untreatable intellectual disorder.” The disorder was not specified.
“Based on the reports, the experts opined that there was no substantial likelihood that [Saimon] would regain his competence due to his lifelong and untreatable intellectual disorder,” according to Kim-Tenorio’s official dismissal order
Citing the large amount of evidence, Kim-Tenorio said that Saimon lacks “sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, and lacks a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him.”
Kim-Tenorio set the jury trial for the three remaining defendants for Jan. 13, 2020. Pre-trial conference is on Dec. 3, 2019, at 1:30pm.
Romeo Saimon is represented by David Banes, while Joseph Saimon is represented by Chief Public Defender Douglas Hartig.
Of the three remaining defendants, Richmond Keybond remains in the custody of the Department of Corrections. He is represented by Dennis Nie.
The amended information charged Joseph Saimon with sexual assault in the first degree, and assault and battery, while Romeo Saimon and Keybond were each charged with two counts of sexual assault in the second degree.
