Is Shadrack White Fit to Stand Trial for Murder?

Shedrack White

Fifty-three-year-old Shedrack White stands accused of a murder that occurred in Belize City in July 2020.  He has been on pretrial detention at the Belize Central Prison for the past three and half years.  When White appeared before the High Court earlier today, it was to determine whether he is fit to stand trial, as a psychiatrist from the Ministry of Health and Wellness has indicated that he suffers from schizophrenia.  This morning, a competency hearing was held before Justice Candace Nanton, where Crown Counsel Porsha Staine-Ferguson called on a pair of witnesses to speak about their interactions with White.  The first to take the stand was a psychiatric doctor working with the Government of Belize.  He told the court that as many as four psychiatric evaluations have been carried out on White between July 2022 and January of this year.  According to Doctor Matus, in a previous evaluation in July 2022, it was determined that White was bipolar.  A second evaluation in December of that same year, concluded that he also suffers from psychosis.  Doctor Matus went on to say that in most instances, when a patient has symptoms of psychosis for more than six months, it is often schizophrenia.  The other witness called to the stand was Virgilio Murillo, C.E.O. of the Kolbe Foundation.  According to Murillo, White was a repeat offender who has committed at least twelve infractions while in prison.  Justice Nanton has reserved a decision for date that is yet to be announced.