ALFRED (AP) — A murder trial is getting underway now that a Maine man charged with killing his grandmother and setting fire to her home has been declared competent to stand trial.
Opening statements are expected today in the trial of Derek Poulin, who’s charged with beating and stabbing 61-year-old Patricia Noel in October 2012 in the home they shared in Old Orchard Beach.
Jurors were selected Monday and Tuesday, but the trial was delayed for a competency hearing on Wednesday.
Poulin’s lawyer says he’s struggled with mental illness. The 26-year-old was committed to a state psychiatric hospital last year for an evaluation.
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