Questions about mental health and competence have emerged in the case against a man accused of gunning down a former coworkerat a Mason lumber company.
During an Oct. 15 hearing, Warren County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Tepe ruled that 34-year-old David Cohen is currently incompetent to stand trial, meaning Cohen can't understand the court proceedings or assist in his own defense.
The judge ordered that Cohen undergo treatment at Summit Behavioral Healthcare, finding he is likely to regain competency through hospitalization.
Cohen is charged with aggravated murder, murder and illegally possessing a firearm. He's pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
In a September court filing, Cohen's attorney, William Oswall Jr., wrote that his client may
suffer from a "mental disease or defect that made him unable to understand the wrongfulness of his acts at the time of his offense."
Cohen is accused of shooting and killing 29-year-old Vincent Stoetzel inside the warehouse of Carter Lumber, firing roughly two dozen rounds. Police said Cohen was arrested the day of the shooting after multiple employees identified him.
At the time of his arrest, Cohen had a gun that prosecutors later said was the weapon used to shoot Stoetzel.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell previously said that Cohen had worked at the lumber company for about a week and quit about a week before the killing. He added that Cohen and Stoetzel knew each other briefly, and Cohen's presence at the business did not initially alarm other workers.
During a hearing in July, a judge ordered that Cohen be held in jail awaiting trial without bond, agreeing with prosecutors that he poses a risk to the community. He has a prior felony conviction in Hamilton County from 2012 for assaulting a police officer.
Enquirer staff writers Cameron Knight and Victoria Moorwood contributed.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Judge orders treatment for man accused of killing former Carter Lumber coworker
