BREAKING NEWS
Competency exam delays Florida burned teen trial
Posted: 03/12/2012
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A mental competency exam has been ordered for the alleged ringleader in the burning attack against a Florida teenager.
The decision by Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Robinson delayed Monday's scheduled start of a trial for 17-year-old Matthew Bent. Bent is accused of attempted murder in the 2009 attack on Michael Brewer, who was doused with flammable liquid and set on fire. Brewer survived after jumping into a Deerfield Beach apartment complex swimming pool.
If convicted Bent could face 30 years in prison. Two other youths pleaded no contest and received lesser prison sentences. They are expected to testify in Bent's trial.
Questions about Bent's mental capacity were raised last week in a motion by his lawyer. Robinson denied the motion to transfer Bent's case from adult to juvenile court.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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