A Butler County District Court judge says he will allow experts representing the state to conduct a psychiatric evaluation of the man accused of murdering Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas last June. Judge Stephen Carroll issued the ruling Wednesday in the case of Mark Becker, granting the prosecution’s application for two separate examinations of Becker at a time to be determined.
The defense did not resist the state’s motion as long as they were provided reports of the examinations. Carroll also set January 29th as the date to hear all pre-trial motions in the case. That hearing will be held at the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center, where Becker is being held on $1 million bond. His trial is scheduled to begin at the Butler County Courthouse in Allison on February 8th.
By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City