Teen suspect in Frickey carjacking death found competent to stand trial
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - One of the four teenagers accused in the brutal carjacking and dragging death of Linda Frickey was found competent to stand trial in the latest court hearing on Thursday, May 25.
Lenyra Theophile, 16, was found in March to be unable to participate in her own defense without additional mental evaluations. Since then, she has been held in custody at a psychiatric facility in Mandeville.
The hospital has since requested Theophile be transferred back to the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.
Judge Kimya Holmes found Theophile competent to stand trial Thursday alongside her co-defendants.
The hearing was very emotional, as friends and family members on both sides continue to pack the courtrooms during the pre-trial hearings, demanding justice in a case that’s drawn national attention.
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Theophile and three other teenagers, John Honore, Briniyah Baker and Mar’quel Curtis, are all charged as adults for the second-degree murder of Frickey. They’re accused of attacking the 72-year-old woman as she sat in her car near North Scott and Bienville streets around 1:30 p.m. on March 21, 2022.
Frickey’s arm became entangled in her seat belt as she was pushed out of the driver’s seat and she was dragged until her arm was severed and she bled to death on the street.
Last week, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to exclude expert testimony pertaining to the relationship between juvenile brain development and violent crimes, arguing that the suspects have already pleaded not guilty and thus, can not use insanity as a defense.
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