2 doctors to evaluate teen charged with killing Indiana girl

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - The judge presiding over the murder trial of a 15-year-old charged with killing a 6-year-old northern Indiana girl ruled Tuesday that two doctors will conduct psychological examinations to determine if he's competent to stand trial.

St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford issued the ruling after attorneys representing the youth sought to have him declared legally insane at the time of the March 2021 slaying.

Under the order, two doctors from the Kokomo area will evaluate the youth and submit their findings to the court, the South Bend Tribune reported. The boy is currently in custody at the Robert J. Kinsey Youth Center in Kokomo.

Authorities have said the youth molested and killed Grace Ross, whose body was found in a wooded area behind the New Carlisle apartment complex about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Chicago where they both lived.

The boy has told police a 'œshadowy man'ť controlled him and made him strangle Grace after she had followed him into the woods, court documents have said.

The youth's mother has testified in court that he is on the autism spectrum, has ADHD and a sensory disorder.