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Springdale suspect's fate could depend on mental health assessment

Valley News-Dispatch (Tarentum, PA) - 5/28/2015

May 28--A Springdale man may never stand trial to determine if he is guilty of attempted homicide and assault in June at the Springdale Manor.

Instead, an Allegheny County judge is being asked to rule if Charles Azim, 74, an ex-convict with a long criminal record who lived at the public housing high-rise, is competent to stand trial.

Azim was charged after a June 27 incident that police said injured two women.

He has been scheduled many times to have a preliminary hearing or waive all charges to court, after which he would've been scheduled for trial. But Azim's preliminary hearing was rescheduled 10 times between July and April .

However, Azim has been unable to communicate with his defense attorney. In the days following his arrest, Azim's neighbors and an Allegheny County Housing Authority official indicated that Azim had suffered a stroke early in 2014, which left him unable to speak.

As a result, he couldn't participate in his legal defense, causing repeated delays.

That could change.

In an April 14 order, county President Judge Jeffrey A. Manning granted a defense motion to move Azim's case to county court, then assigned it to Judge Edward Borkowski.

On Wednesday, Borkowski said he heard a report about Azim earlier this month from a medical specialist hired by the county Public Defender's Office.

Chief Public Defender Elliot Howsie and his deputy, Shanicka Kennedy, failed to return repeated telephone and email inquiries about the report.

Instead, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said Wednesday in an email the Public Defender's Office declined to answer as to "not ... jeopardize (Azim's) case in any way."

Borkowski said he recently offered the District Attorney's Office the opportunity to have a psychiatric assessment of Azim and on Wednesday, the district attorney made that request.

After the assessment, Borkowski will decide, based on medical and legal testimony, if Azim is competent. If not, the judge may send Azim to a health care facility where both he and society will be safe.

After an incident at the public housing high-rise in April 2014, Azim had been taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison for a mental health evaluation.

Azim is charged with two counts of attempted homicide, three counts of aggravated assault, including one for allegedly punching a woman who tried to help the first two victims and three counts of reckless endangerment.

Chuck Biedka is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4711 or cbiedka@tribweb.com.

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(c)2015 The Valley News-Dispatch (Tarentum, Pa.)

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