BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Experts say a man charged in the fatal stabbing of another man near a pedestrian mall in Burlington is mentally unfit for trial.
The Burlington Free Press reports (https://bfpne.ws/2seYfkA ) that a court-appointed psychiatrist and a defense psychiatrist have agreed that 37-year-old Louis Fortier, of Boston, is not mentally fit for trial.
Fortier has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 43-year-old Richard Medina in March.
It’s unclear what sparked the violence. The police chief has said the two men exchanged words and things escalated quickly.
Fortier’s sister has said Fortier has a long history with mental illness and had been admitted to the hospital several times this year.
Police had said that both men were transients and had extensive criminal records.
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