Daniel Wood, 24, of Lima, has been found competent to stand trial in the Jan. 8 stabbing death of 76-year-old Lima resident Lucinda Wright. Defense attorneys sought and obtained approval from Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed for a second, independent evaluation.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man charged with murder in a Jan. 8 stabbing on Mound Road that left 76-year-old Lucinda Wright dead has been deemed competent to stand trial.
For now.
Daniel Wood, 24, appeared Monday in Allen County Common Pleas Court for a competency hearing. Judge Jeffrey Reed, basing his ruling on a psychological evaluation performed Feb. 29 by Dr. Carla Dreyer at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio, said Wood was competent to stand trial on charges related to Wright’s death.
Wood was then formally indicted on five charges handed down by a grand jury in February. Steve Chamberlain of the Allen County Public Defenders Office entered pleas of not guilty on Wood’s behalf to counts of aggravated murder, murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
Reed said the aggravated murder count carries a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole upon conviction.
The charges are all linked closely to the death of Wright, who was found deceased at her Mound Road home as a result of multiple stab wounds. Investigators discovered that Wright’s Toyota Camry had been stolen, along items from her home that included credit cards, televisions and Notre Dame sports memorabilia.
It was learned that the credit cards had been used at two convenience stores in the area and surveillance videos showed a white male driving the stolen Toyota at those locations. Wood was taken into custody by police after he was located driving the victim’s vehicle in the area of Market and Metcalf streets in downtown Lima.
Wood, listed as homeless in court documents, reportedly was enrolled in the Lighthouse Behavior Health Solutions drug rehab program and was living in a rented house on Mound Road at the time of the incident. During an interview with police he reportedly admitted going into Wright’s home with an Airsoft pistol and a knife with the intent to steal items. He confessed to killing Wright, court records show.
He is being held in the Allen County jail on a $2 million bond.
Following Wood’s arraignment on Monday, Chamberlain asked the court to approve a second evaluation by an independent psychologist. Reed authorized the defense team to obtain a second evaluation from private psychologist Dr. Bob Stinson of Columbus.
A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was entered on Wood’s behalf on Feb. 16 and the purpose of the independent evaluation is to determine Wood’s mental state at the time of the incident, the defense attorney said.
Chamberlain also noted for the record that Wood is wanted by the U.S. Navy for being absent without leave.
