The man accused of killing two people in Idaho and Nez Perce counties will be evaluated to determine his competency to stand trial.
Judge Sunil Ramalingam granted a motion filed by the defense attorney for 56-year-old Richard Ross.
Ross will be examined by a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist designated by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare as soon as possible. The judge also set a review hearing for Friday.
Ross is being held without bond in the Nez Perce County jail while he awaits a preliminary hearing that will determine whether there is probable cause that he committed the first-degree murders of 76-year-old Edwina Devin and her 57-year-old son, Michael Devin, the night of Sept. 30th.
Ross is also the leading suspect in the strangulation deaths of Bruce and Lynn Peeples at their Grangeville home in 1994. He has not been charged in that case, but the investigation has been reopened.
Ross faces a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of the Devin murders. (Lewiston Tribune)
