During this month’s Eighth District Circuit Court session, Judge Christopher Collins ordered a psychiatric examination for murder suspect Selena Roberts to determine if she is fit to stand trial.
Roberts, 41, was arrested on June 6, 2016, for the stabbing death of her boyfriend Danny Brown, 42. Brown’s family discovered his body that morning in the bedroom of his mobile home at 2856 Buckley Road in Chunky. Roberts was indicted for first degree murder by the grand jury in May.
Roberts is scheduled to undergo the psychiatric examination by Dr. Mark C. Webb at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 at his office in Ridgeland.
According to the order, Webb will determine if Roberts:
• is able to perceive and understand the nature of the proceedings
• is able to rationally communicate with her attorney about the case
• is able to testify in her own defense if appropriate and
• if her ability to satisfy the foregoing criteria is commensurate with the severity of the case.
Roberts is being represented by public defender Shawn Harris, who will receive the results of the examination along with Collins, Eighth District Circuit Court District Attorney Steven Kilgore and Newton County Circuit Clerk Mike Butler.
At the time of the arrest, Newton County Sheriff Jackie Knight said Brown shared the home with Roberts and that authorities believe the homicide may have resulted from a domestic dispute.
Brown had been stabbed multiple times, and deputies also found a butcher knife in the home that they believed to be the murder weapon. Roberts had also been seen driving Brown’s vehicle earlier that day.
