Times/News Correspondent

A King County judge was expected to rule Sept. 19 on whether the man accused of a 2001 quadruple homicide in Des Moines is mentally competent to stand trial.

Judge Michael Spearman's decision will follow last week's back-and-forth battle between King County prosecutor's and defense attorneys for Leemah Carneh.

Now 23, Carneh is accused of beating, stabbing and shooting to death Richard Larson, 63, and Jane Larson, 64, in their home, as well as their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his girlfriend Josie Peterson, 17, on March 8, 2001.

Since his arrest a few days later, Carneh has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, according to defense and state psychiatrists.

Although he pleaded innocent to four counts of aggravated first-degree murder following his arrest, Carneh changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.

With the change in his plea has come a series of delays in the trial date to determine Carneh's mental competency to assist in his defense.

"Seventy-eight hearings or motions have been filed since the crimes occurred in March of 2001," said Lorraine Marks, mother of Taelor Marks and daughter of Richard and Jane Larson.

"I am just wondering how much it takes to get a criminal to trial in this state?"

Carneh, who has been ruled competent to stand trial several times according to court documents, has been on an anti-psychotic medication and an anti-depressant.

"His medication takes up to one year to reach its maximal improvement," Dr. Brian Waiblinger of Western Washington State Hospital told the court.

Waiblinger stated that, in his opinion, Carneh is currently competent to stand trial.

But Dr. George Woods, who testified for the defense after finding Carneh competent in 2002, said the defendant suffers from delusions such as the belief that jail staff was putting cocaine in his food.

During the three-day competency hearing, both state and defense doctors were questioned about their evaluations based on the Carneh's mental condition.

"There are two factors that establish competency," noted neuropsychologist Dale G. Watson for the defense.

One of these, he explained, was the ability of the defendant to have a basic understanding of the court process, and the other was Carneh's ability to choose to rationally assist counsel.

Woods stated that he believes Carneh fits the first prong of competency, but it is the latter that the defense challenges. Woods observed that given Carneh's delusions, he is not rationally able to assist his lawyers for a trial.

State prosecutors disagreed. "His delusions ... have nothing to do with his case," declared prosecuting attorney Davidheiser.

Waiblinger agreed that just because someone has delusions doesn't make them incompetent.

After the prosecutor's closing arguments on Sept. 19, the families of the victims, who have come to every hearing, may finally get an answer.