This is a civil commitment (CC) case based on Georgia's MENTAL HEALTH laws, not a case following a prison sentence. Normally I would not post this type of CC case, but because 6-yr-old Barrios was the son of a RSO forced to live in the area where he was murdered because of Georgia's residency laws, we will follow this case.3-27-2013 Georgia:
BRUNSWICK | A man accused of murder in the sexual abuse slaying of 6-year-old Christopher Barrios in March 2008 will undergo an independent evaluation to determine if he should be civilly committed to a state mental health facility.
After the evaluation is complete, George David Edenfield must appear in court April 18 for a trial on his civil commitment, Superior Court Judge Stephen G. Scarlett said in an order signed Tuesday.
George Edenfield and his parents, David and Peggy Edenfield, were all charged with murder, child molestation, false imprisonment, cruelty to children and other charges in Christopher’s death. Evidence at David Edenfield’s trial showed that George Edenfield lured Christopher into his family’s mobile home off Canal Road north of Brunswick where the father and son molested the boy and strangled him. Days later, Christopher’s body was found inside black plastic garbage bags in woods two miles from the mobile home park where the Edenfields, Christopher’s father and his grandmother had homes.
On Aug. 4, 2010, Scarlett found George David Edenfield incompetent to stand trial and committed him to the Georgia Department of Health & Developmental Disability for treatment to restore his competency and for further evaluation.
In January 2011, a state psychologist said Edenfield was still incompetent in understanding the nature of court proceedings and in assisting his attorney but had shown some progress.
On Feb. 21, the court received a follow-up evaluation in which Karen Bailey-Smith said that Edenfield was still not competent to stand trial, could not be restored to competency in the foreseeable future and that he meets the criteria for inpatient civil commitment.
District Attorney Jackie Johnson’s office says her office believes a more recent evaluation is necessary and asked the court for an independent evaluation by Greg Cox, a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Brunswick.
The defense agreed to Cox’s appointment.
David Edenfield was convicted of malice murder and other charges in Christopher’s death and is on Death Row.
Peggy Edenfield pleaded guilty but mentally retarded to false imprisonment, child molestation, second-degree cruelty to children and other charges and is serving a 60-year sentence. ..Source.. by Terry Dickson
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