JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The man accused in the execution-style killing of a 20-year-old Metro PCS clerk in July 2013 was in a Duval County courtroom again Tuesday as his mental competency continued to be debated.
A defense psychologist testified that 23-year-old James Rhodes is mentally competent for prosecution but is intellectually disabled.
Recommended Videos
Rhodes is accused of killing Shelby Farah after she handed over money during a robbery.
If Rhodes is convicted, the state attorney's office intends to seek the death penalty. But if he's found to be intellectually disabled, he cannot legally be executed.
Psychologist Gregory Pritchard testified for the prosecution, saying that he reviewed Rhodes' IQ scores going back to when he was 6 years old and found Rhodes is not intellectually disabled.
"He was very much accessed over the course of time and disciplined over the course of time," Pritchard testified. "A lot of people laid eyes on him; they had education plans."
The psychologist said intellectually disabled individuals have an IQ of under 70, but Rhodes tested at 72 when he was in elementary school, 75 in middle school and had an IQ of between 80 and 90 when he was 16.
Pritchard diagnosed Rhodes as having anti-social personality which means he's emotionally handicapped and emotionally disabled. Pritchard added that most antisocial individuals are criminally inclined and tend to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Darlene Farah, the victim's mother, said she believe Rhodes is faking being mentally disabled to avoid facing the death penalty.
"I knew he was, I felt that all along," Darlene Farah said. "If you plan a robbery out, take a change of clothes and you know how to pull that trigger, he's not (disabled)."
Defense attorneys countered that Rhodes has poor impulse control, poor memory and limited decision-making skills which are all characteristic of someone who is mentally disabled.