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Man found mentally incompetent in bat killing of mother

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Posted at 5:46 PM, Feb 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-29 17:46:14-05

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has been judged mentally incompetent to stand trial on charges of killing his 71-year-old mother with a baseball bat.

A judge ordered 40-year-old Jason Paul Wood of Jacksonville involuntarily committed to a state hospital after the ruling.

Wood is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Barbara Jean Wood, on Feb. 4 at her home. He is also charged with assaulting a female relative. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Florida Times-Union reports that police say Wood has medical disorders including schizophrenia.

Officers recovered a blood-stained metal baseball bat inside the home’s kitchen pantry, as well as a broken wooden walking cane within five feet of the mother’s body and a large pool of blood

A review hearing on Wood's competency to stand trial is set for Aug. 27.