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Man Accused Of Killing Father Can Stand Trial

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Jul 6, 2009 9:21 pm US/Eastern

Man Accused Of Killing Father Can Stand Trial

ELKTON, Md. (AP) ― A judge has ruled that a man charged with fatally beating his father in 2007 is competent to stand trial.

Thirty-two-year-old Eugene Pritchard Jr. of North East is accused of killing his father, 69-year-old Eugene F. Pritchard Sr., on July 16, 2007. Police say that Pritchard beat his father to death after a car crash.

According to court documents, Pritchard told investigators that he killed his father because he believed his father was the devil.

Cecil County Circuit Judge O. Robert Lidums ruled on Monday that Pritchard is mentally competent to stand trial. The judge cited evaluations by state psychiatrists who said doctors had medicated Pritchard to mental health.

A trial date has not been set.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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