Topic - Richard Simonton

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FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Williams County, N.D., Sheriff's Department shows Michael Keith Spell. A judge, in a ruling Friday May 16, 2014, says Spell is fit to stand trial in the killing of a Montana teacher who disappeared after she went jogging in the Bakken oil patch. (AP Photo/Williams County, N.D., Sheriff's Department, File)

Judge: Oil patch killing suspect fit for trial

By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press

Defense attorney Al Avignone, right, speaks with Richland County Attorney Mike Weber, center, at the competency hearing for murder suspect Michael Keith Spell on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 in Sidney, Mont. Deputy County Attorney T.R. Halvorson, left, looks on. A state psychiatrist testified that Spell is fit for trial. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Judge to decide if murder suspect fit for trial

By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press

Defense attorney Al Avignone, left, questions psychologist Greg Olley during testimony, Monday, March 24, 2014 in Sidney, Mont. on whether a Colorado man should stand trial in the 2012 killing of a Montana teacher. Olley testified that 24-year-old defendant Michael Keith Spell has an intelligence level comparable to an 11-year-old and is not fit for trial. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Judge to decide if murder suspect fit for trial

By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2012 file photo, Michael Keith Spell arrives at Montana state district court in Sidney, Mont. for a hearing in the case of murdered Montana teacher Sherry Arnold. The Colorado man's bid to avoid trial and a potential death sentence in the killing of an eastern Montana teacher goes before a state judge Monday, March 24, 2014 to decide if the defendant is incompetent due to mental disability. His attorneys say 24-year-old Spell has the mental capacities of a first-grader and is unfit for trial. If Judge Richard Simonton agrees, Spell could be sent to a state institution indefinitely. (AP Photo/Matt Brown, File)

Montana murder case suspect seeks to avoid trial

By MATTHEW BROWN - Associated Press

Competency hearing scheduled in Sherry Arnold case

Associated Press