November 18, 2021 at 1:48 p.m.
State requests second competency evaluation in Wakefield case
State requests second competency evaluation in Wakefield case
In a letter to the court dated Nov. 11, district attorney Mike Schiek notes that Wakefield's attorneys first raised the issue of competency on July 13, resulting in an evaluation, but the "defense did not stipulate to, nor contest, the findings in the competency evaluation, but instead requested a second evaluation be conducted. As a result, to date, there has not been a competency hearing on the initial competency report that was filed on August 3, 2021."
Schiek goes on to explain that the doctor who conducted the original evaluation has advised him that she is "unable to testify about the contents and findings made in the August 2nd competency report due to the lapse of time that has passed since she completed the evaluation."
As a result, Schiek asked the court to order another evaluation to supplement the original.
Wakefield, 25, is also expected to be evaluated by an expert obtained by his defense team ahead of a Dec. 2 hearing to determine his competency to participate in court proceedings related to the death of a Rhinelander woman on a local roadside June 30.
Wakefield was arrested over the Fourth of July weekend, about five days after the body of Hannah Rose Miller, 26, was found on the side of River Bend Road in the Town of Pelican.
He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide (as party to the crime).
According to the criminal complaint, Wakefield is alleged to have assisted the main suspect in the case, Christopher Terrell Anderson, with the planning of the homicide. Among other things, the complaint alleges Wakefield rented a U-Haul to conduct surveillance of Miller and her relatives. When asked why he did not contact law enforcement to report Anderson's plans and activities, Wakefield allegedly told investigators he didn't think it was any of his business and that he was expecting some sort of compensation in exchange for providing assistance.
According to the criminal complaint charging Anderson with first-degree intentional homicide, police responded to River Bend Road in the Town of Pelican on the morning of June 30 after receiving a 911 call reporting a female, later identified as Miller, lying on the side of the road.
"It was apparent that she was deceased from a gunshot wound or wounds," sheriff Grady Hartman later reported. According to the complaint, a couple traveling on River Bend Road discovered Miller's body.
In an interview with police, Miller's mother reported that Miller and Anderson had been in a dating relationship for approximately four years and were the parents of a young child. She indicated that the couple moved to the Rhinelander area in the spring of 2020 and broke up in early June. She also reported that her daughter had expressed concern for her safety but offered few details about the relationship.
Anderson, 30, was at large for nearly 70 days before being taken into custody Sept. 7 in DuPage County, Ill. He has since been transferred to Wisconsin and is due back in court Nov. 22 for an adjourned initial appearance.
A $1 million cash bond has been set in his case.
Wakefield is being held on a $250,000 cash bond.
He was last in court on Oct. 21, at which time public defender Liz Svehlek told the court she was having difficulty securing the cooperation of a doctor to conduct the second evaluation of her client.
The major sticking point, she said, was that many of the independent doctors in this field work with the Wisconsin Forensic Unit, which is where the state found the doctor who conducted the initial examination of Wakefield.
"I've reached out to about 10 forensic doctors throughout the state, and I just recently had a return call from a provider," she said.
At that time, circuit judge Patrick O'Melia gave the defense a two-week deadline to secure a doctor to conduct the evaluation.
Court records indicate Svehlek succeeded in finding a doctor, as an order for competency examination was filed Nov. 2.
On Nov. 12, the court responded to Schiek's letter and issued an order for a third evaluation.
To be found competent, a defendent must have the mental capacity to understand the proceedings and be able to assist in his or her own defense.
Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].
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