A 25-year-old Augusta man will be hospitalized to restore his mentally competency before any further action is taken in the murder charges pending against him.
Keunte Green is accused of murder in the Jan. 22, 2020, stabbing death of 42-year-old David Boykin at the Biotest Plasma Center on Peach Orchard Road.
Jessica Fritts of East Central Regional Hospital, who has a doctorate degree in psychology and is a current forensic post-doctorate fellow at the mental health facility, testified Thursday, June 2, in Richmond County Superior Court that she first saw Green in November 2021.
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The staff at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center asked for Green to undergo treatment after his mental state deteriorated to the point he wouldn’t eat, drink, make any effort at self-care and finally wouldn’t move from the floor of his cell. Fritts said Green was catatonic then and is now mentally incompetent to understand the legal process or assist in his own defense.
Green’s medical history included an emergency hospitalization in 2019 when his grandmother reported he was hearing voices telling him to harm himself, Fritts said. The records note there was a prior diagnosis of schizophrenia. He went for help again in late November 2019, but his last visit was in January 2020.
With no objection from the prosecutor, Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig granted the defense motion for Green’s commitment. He will undergo a three-month evaluation and then the court will be advised of his progress or further treatment recommendation.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
